Signs of Fall

This has not been one of our better summers here in the Puget Sound region. I have been waiting for fall to begin, and I’m finally seeing signs that our evil season is approaching its end.

Most of the things that I have been noticing during my walks at Chambers Creek Properties aren’t that big of a deal. It’s just a bunch of little things. For example, I think that I have seen a peregrine falcon for the first time in months. I didn’t get a good look, so I can’t be sure. Besides, it could have been one of our wandering residents rather than a wintering bird.

A little more of a winter bird would be a goldeneye. I think that I have seen some. Like the falcon, I didn’t get a good enough look. I can’t be certain of identification.

I’m seeing more double-crested cormorants lately. While there are possibilities for sightings year round for these birds, they are seen more often and in higher numbers during the winter.

I saw a pied-billed grebe today. Like falcons, these birds aren’t strictly winter birds, but they are more likely during winter.

Better yet, I also identified a red-necked grebe. These birds are definitively winter birds out here. I can finally say that our winter birds are starting to arrive. This is a good sign that summer is winding down.

How about our weather? Drizzle today with showers tomorrow. Finally, some un-summer weather! Unfortunately, we will follow this with more dry, hot, and miserable weather. Even so, actually seeing a few nice days is a huge improvement over what we have had to deal with lately.

I’m not going to lie. I will miss our ospreys. That said, I feel that we have more and a better variety of birds in our area during the winter. I am more than willing to welcome the Brandt’s cormorants as they take over the North Dock in the ospreys’ absence as well as the addition of grebes, loons, and a lot more ducks. I also don’t want to forget my Kestrel buddy who likes to visit the Central Meadow.