October 1, 2019 - Fort Steilacoom

Today, I drove up to Fort Steilacoom Park for the monthly birders’ walk.  This outing takes place at the City of Lakewood’s 342-acre property, which has diverse habitats including open grassy hillsides with brushy areas, oak and other deciduous wooded areas, and coniferous Douglas-fir forest, all surrounding Waughop Lake.

Everyone wishes they could bird with a volcano on the horizon!

"Numerous" foot trails allow access throughout the park, which makes for some pretty good birding.

Russ Smith from Tahoma Audubon has led the group for several years, and tells us that birders have identified 146 avian species in the park.

Russ discusses the fine points of bird identification with Shep Thorp . . .

This walk takes place every First Tuesday of the month, meeting near the Barns at 8 a.m.  Today, we were happy with - and give a well-earned Thank You! - to Mary Dodsworth, the Lakewood Parks Director and her trail crew for recently clearing several trails of downed limbs and trees, as well as grooming overgrown blackberry briars off other trails.

Today, was a bit chilly at first (38º F/ 3°C), but warmed up into a calm and sunny, mid-50º F day.  The wintering waterfowl haven’t yet arrived, but there were still a few “summer” birds hanging around.

Anna's Hummingbird is a year-'round resident species

An Oregon Ash tree was in full color, and while we were admiring it, sharp eyes (not mine) spotted a Western Tanager in its branches.

Later in the walk, we heard the soft “whoit” call of a lingering Swainson’s Thrush.  In our area the Hermit Thrush may be found year-round, while our population of the Swainson’s migrates to southern Mexico and Central America to enjoy its “winter”.

Hermit Thrush

We were treated to a view of a male “Intergrade” Northern Flicker.  There are two ‘races’ of this woodpecker species.  Our common western subspecies, the Red-shafted Flicker, has a red malar patch or “mustache” and salmon-red primary wing feathers and rectrices (tail feathers).  The “Yellow-shafted” Flicker is the population expected in the eastern part of the country, although it breeds pretty far north (and west) into the Rocky Mountains, and has (as you’d expect) yellow flight feathers and a red crescent on the nape of  neck, as well as the male having a black mustache.  From Autumn through Spring, we can sort through the flickers, looking for “hybrids” between the two forms.  This bird was perched with apparent 'pure' Red-shafted female.  This male had red malars, no nape color, head/neck more cinnamon than gray, and distinctly bright yellow rectrices.

Another Autumn-through-Spring species is the Golden-crowned Sparrow, which, along with the Sooty Fox Sparrow, is one of the constant “little brown jobs” seen on our birding treks from now through April.

Hawks are apparently migrating, and we enjoyed seeing both the little Sharp-shinned and several of the larger Cooper’s Hawks.

The folks “in charge” of this walk welcome birders of any level of expertise.  The only requirement is that you enjoy the birds.

Fort Steilacoom Park eBird Checklist is Here

Just had to end with another shot of Mount Rainier . . .