This November, participants gathered at Point No Point County Park to go birding with one of GPC’s staff members, Brendan McGarry. Brendan has been birding for thirty years and has previously worked as a field biologist and naturalist and was excited to share this passion with participants!
The day started out foggy but eventually cleared enough to see a wide variety of birds. Brendan pointed out birds flying overhead or bobbing out on Puget Sound. Participants looked through bird guides to see identifying features and took turns using the spotting scope to see species further out on the Sound. Some highlights on the water were both the endangered marbled murrelet and their close relative ancient murrelets, as well as large flocks of feeding Bonaparte’s gulls. The movement of water and two drift cells that center on the point means there are often hundreds of birds actively feeding off the point and today was no different!
While the group spent most of their time along the shoreline, they spent time enjoying the nearby wetlands and trails. Two beautiful great blue herons stalking prey in the marsh offered an opportunity to discuss their behavior and life history (they eat rodents and frogs as well as fish). Nearby, the shrubby coastal vegetation hosted a group of Anna’s hummingbirds that were actively displaying and fighting over territory; a particularly pretty male bird perched above everyone, offering a great look as he reflected the sun off his ruby throat.
Click here to see a list of all 47 species seen or heard during the Walk & Talk and enjoy a few of the sights at Point No Point below!
