[Tweeters] Edmonds Roundup - January 2024

[Carol Riddell]

Hi Tweeters,

There were 109 species reported in Edmonds in January 2024.

Most expected waterfowl were reported in January, including some rarer species such as Snow Goose (code 3), Trumpeter Swans (code 4), Cackling Goose (code 3), Eurasian Wigeon (code 3), Northern Pintail (code 3), and Lesser Scaup (code 3). 

The expected grebes were Pied-billed, Horned, Red-necked, and Western. There was one sighting of an Eared Grebe (code 4).

Among the pigeons and doves, Rock Pigeon, Band-tailed Pigeon, and Eurasian Collared-Dove (code 3) were seen in January.

Both Virginia Rail (code 2) and American Coot (code 2) were reported.

Shorebird sightings included Killdeer, Black Turnstone (code 3), Surfbird (code 3), Sanderling, Dunlin (code 3) and Wilson’s Snipe (code 3). The expected winter alcids were reported: Common Murre, Pigeon Guillemot, Marbled Murrelet, Ancient Murrelet (code 3), and Rhinoceros Auklet.

Along with the expected species gulls and hybrid gulls, there was one Iceland Gull (code 4) and one first winter Herring Gull (code 4) reported on the waterfront. Both had good photo documentation. 

All three loon species (Red-throated, Pacific, Common) were reported at various sites along the Edmonds shoreline. The Yellow-billed Loon (code 5), first reported in late December, continued into January. All three cormorant species (Brandt’s, Pelagic, Double-crested) were reported.

Birds of prey included Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks, Bald Eagle, and Red-tailed Hawk. A Barred Owl (code 2) was heard calling in the Lake Ballinger neighborhood. For the falcons, a Merlin was reported on the same day at the marsh and the waterfront.

All of the expected woodpeckers were seen in January: Red-breasted Sapsucker, Northern Flicker, as well as Hairy, Downy, and Pileated Woodpeckers.

Hutton’s Vireo was heard several times during the month at Yost and Pine Ridge Parks. Steller’s Jay, American Crow, and Common Raven (code 3) were all reported. Several Barn Swallows were seen at the marsh 1-25-24.

All of the expected smaller birds were reported: chickadees, kinglets, nuthatch, creeper, and wrens. American Robin and Varied Thrush were the most frequently reported thrushes in January. Hermit Thrush was noted once at a south Edmonds yard 1-14-24. 

January reports of finches included House Finch, Pine Siskins, and American Goldfinches. All of the expected sparrows appeared, including White-throated Sparrow (code 3). There were no reports of Lincoln’s Sparrow (code 3).

Red-winged Blackbirds have been reported at Pine Ridge Park, the marsh, and the Edmonds Lake Ballinger area. There were no reports of Brewer’s Blackbird or Brown-headed Cowbird.

Among the warblers there were reports of Orange-crowned Warbler (code 1) at the waterfront, marsh, and Pine Ridge Park. Townsend’s Warblers (code 2) were seen in the Lake Ballinger neighborhood, Pine Ridge Park, Edmonds Memorial Cemetery, and at a north Edmonds yard. Yellow-rumped Warblers (code 1) were at multiple locations throughout the month.

Please be careful with gulls. There are pretty high numbers of Glaucous-winged Gulls being reported in eBird checklists. Most of these are probably the much more common Western x Glaucous-winged hybrids. Western, Herring, and Iceland Gulls are code 4 species, difficult to see in Edmonds. There are documented reports of one each of Herring and Iceland Gulls. There are multiple undocumented reports of Herring, Iceland and Western Gulls. These are rarely seen here. Ring-billed Gull is a challenging code 3 species in Edmonds, seen annually but sometimes only a single bird. This gull does not favor exposed shorelines such as Edmonds, particularly in winter. The most promising winter location in Edmonds is the Edmonds portion of Lake Ballinger. Early cycle Short-billed Gulls get mistaken for Ring-billed Gulls in winter when a birder only notes a ring on the bill. We would not add any of these gulls to our year list without documentation of multiple field marks or a photo. We look for evidence-based sightings. Remember that just because a species is on a county basic checklist, it does not suggest even distribution throughout the county or even particularly high numbers.

As always, I appreciate it when birders get in touch with me to share sightings, photos, or recordings. It helps us build our collective year list. If you would like a copy of our 2024 city checklist, please request it from checklistedmonds at gmail dot com. The 2024 checklist with January sightings is in the bird information box at the Olympic Beach Visitor Station at the base of the public pier.

Good birding,

Carol Riddell
Edmonds, WA

Abundance codes: (1) Common, (2) Uncommon, (3) Harder to find, usually seen annually, (4) Rare, 5+ records, (5) Fewer than 5 records
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