'of course, the eagles are always about'

David Gluckman's spotting scope

Ten birders participated in an Admiralty Audubon chapter field trip along the southern edge of Kah Tai Lagoon today. Highlights were five raptor species, including a 'very spiffy' Peregrine Falcon perched on a utility pole at the east park entrance.

Here, in order of sighting, are the 37 species seen: Bald Eagle, Cooper's Hawk, Black-capped Chickadee, American Crow, Double-crested Cormorant, Glaucous-winged Gull, Northern Flicker, Bufflehead, Mallard, American Coot, Ruddy Duck, Common Goldeneye, Red-winged Blackbird, Scaup species, Pied-billed Grebe, Anna's Hummingbird, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Great Blue Heron, Song Sparrow, American Robin, Red-tailed Hawk, European Starling, Red-breasted Merganser, Canada Goose, (probable) Cackling Goose, Pine Siskin, Eurasian Wigeon, Bewick's Wren, Northern Harrier, Peregrine Falcon, House Finch, Purple Finch, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Spotted Towhee, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Golden-crowned Kinglet.

A few human slackers didn't show up to look into the spotting scopes and marvel at the abundance of riches. So this photo showed up in the inbox, entitled 'we missed you'. And being slackers made some of us miss out on seeing what would have been our first Northern Harrier. I mentioned the list of raptors to a friend who has the good luck to have a front window filled with a lagoon panorama, and she knew the Harrier was back and was interested to hear about the falcon and the Cooper's.  

'Of course,' she casually added, 'the eagles are always about'.