Darlin Creek Preserve, Bruce LivingstonWhat a thrill it is to stumble across a bird species uncommonly seen in our area. At first you may hear it and question your “birding by ear” skills. “Could that be what I think it is?” With patience and luck, you catch a glimpse of the bird. Your suspicions are confirmed! Over the past year we have had some unusual bird sightings at several preserves.
For starters, some keen-eared volunteers identified a yellow-breasted chat while at a stewardship work party along Stillman Creek in Lewis County. Shortly after that, a second yellow-breasted chat was observed singing from an exposed branch at a preserve in Mason County!
The yellow-breasted chat is typically found in Washington east of the Cascades during the breeding season, April through August. Seeing it in western Washington is unusual. The yellow-breasted chat is a bulky songbird with a long tail, big head, and yellow breast. With an affinity for thick vegetation, especially along streams and in abandoned farmland, the yellow-breasted chat is often overlooked. After it arrives from Mexico in the early breeding season, however, the bird’s expansive vocal repertoire—a mix of whistles, rattles, catcalls, and grunts—cannot be ignored.
Another unusual bird visitor to our area, a snow bunting, was spotted on a salt marsh at a CLT preserve by an eagle-eyed volunteer. Snow buntings are medium-sized songbirds that breed in the high arctic tundra in rock cavities and are more commonly seen farther east and north. Breeding males have solid black backs, black and white wings, and white underparts. Females have less contrasting black and white plumage, usually with rufous and gray tones.
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- During the nonbreeding season, snow bunting feathers acquire a rusty color, and their beaks turn from black to yellow, Mary Birchem
The snow bunting displays incredible resilience for such a small bird. Males may return to their high arctic breeding grounds when temperatures are as cold as -22 degrees Fahrenheit to secure the best rock crevices for raising young. Beginning around August, flocks of snow buntings form and start moving south to their wintering grounds. Salt marshes and open fields provide the seed sources the birds need to maintain a healthy weight before returning to their northern breeding grounds each year.
The Virginia rail and northern saw-whet owl are two more bird species spotted at land trust sites in the past year. While both are residents, they are uncommonly seen. The Virginia rail’s secretive wetland lifestyle and northern saw-whet’s nocturnal behavior often keep them out of sight from curious humans. CLT’s public-access preserves can be great places to bring your binoculars and try your luck at bagging your own unusual bird sighting!
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- The secretive Virginia rail is best recognized by its curved red-brown bill and orange-brown legs. It has a black and white barred belly and mottled brown-black back, Mike Melton
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- The diminutive Northern saw-whet owls has a large head, a mottled brown back and light underparts. Its dark bill contrasts with the white “Y” between the eyes. (Its name alludes to its call that sounds like a saw being sharpened), Mike Melton
While none of these birds are considered rare, it’s a thrill to spot them and an important reminder that conservation of their habitat is critical to their survival. Bird populations everywhere are in decline, mostly due to habitat loss. Birds, like us, need safe places to find food and water and a sheltered spot to build a home to raise their young. Some of the ecosystems CLT has prioritized for protection—forests, wetlands, prairies, and shorelines—offer these essentials that support a diversity of bird species. As land development increases and the climate changes, bird ranges will continue to shift. Conserving these habitats, in south Puget Sound, the Chehalis River Basin, and beyond, will continue to be important for their survival.