birds

Gadwall

/ Seattle Park Lover / 2 Comments

 

Gadwalls are common year-round residents in the Puget Sound region now, but the birds originated in the Midwestern prairies, and the first Washington nests weren’t reported until the 1960s. A perfect example of how human activity (the spread of Eurasion milfoil and reduction of coniferous forests in this case) can significantly affect the range of species of wildlife.

Gadwalls are dabbling ducks like mallards, but will also occasionally dive. Though a drab duck, I think the males in breeding plumage, like this one, are rather dapper looking.

Photo taken at Matthews Beach in March 2016.

Red-breasted Nuthatch

/ Seattle Park Lover / 2 Comments

 

There is a narrow strip of bushes and trees in front of my building and the apartments next door. I see gray squirrels and birds like house sparrows, black-capped chickadees, and crows there all the time, but usually nothing out of the ordinary.

So imagine my surprise when I pulled into a parking space one August day last year and saw this red-breasted nuthatch clinging to a tree close to my car. I was thrilled because it was not only my first nuthatch sighting, but I serendipitously had my camera with me.

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