Fox Island to Key Peninsula Field Trip (10/29/05) Highlights

We left the Park & Ride with nine birders and two others joined us at the Fox Island bridge. A woman from Lincoln, Nebraska joined us. She was visiting a brother over a long weekend and found our trip on the website.

 At Fox Island we had 21 species including the usual large number of Pelagic Cormorants perched under the bridge. There were a number of Pacific and Common Loons, Horned and Red-necked Grebes, Pigeon Guillemots and Surf and White-winged Scoters. A pair of Hooded Mergansers, a few Red-breasted Mergansers and Bufflehead were also present. Gulls on the Fox Island beach included Mew, California and Western. There were a number of Bonaparte's Gulls flying and on the water. We were all intrigued by a male deer that entered the water from the mainland beach and start swimming toward Fox Island. It was almost to the island when we left.

During the drive to Kopachuck State Park a Sharp-shinned Hawk flew over. On the walk to the beach there were Winter Wren, Steller's Jays, Chestnut-backed Chickadees and Golden-crowned Kinglets. The usual large number of harbor seals were on the gravel bar off the island. A female Harlequin Duck and American Wigeon were added to the list. Our next stop was at the Gig Harbor Marina park where the only new bird was Ring-billed Gull. Our stop at Joe's Bay at the town of Home some Band-tailed Pigeons flew by. There were a number of waterfowl, but nothing new.

We got to Joemma Beach State Park just in time for lunch. In the woods behind the picnic area were Red-breasted Nuthatch, Song Sparrow and Ruby-crowned Kinglet. We watched two Red-tailed Hawks soaring high overhead and enjoying the wind. We then drove to Penrose Point State Park. At the parking lot, some heard a Hutton's Vireo and a Spotted Towhee. Several Western Grebe were way out in the middle of the inlet. From the point there were numerous waterfowl, including a female Harlequin, but no males until MaryFrances spotted a flock of about 10 heading towards us. As they got closer we could all track them with the binoculars and see their beautiful plumage. They continued toward us and landed right in front of us. We were able to observe them in the sunlight for as long as we stayed.

From there we started back and stopped on the Purdy causeway where we scoped a distant flock of goldeneye before finally determining they were Barrow's Goldeneye. Our last stop was at the Snake Lake Nature Center. The normally reliable Wood Ducks were difficult to find, but someone finally found a pair sleeping on a log back in the brush. On the interpretative trail we saw Black-capped Chickadee, Bushtits, a Brown Creeper and Bewick's Wren.  A very good day in perfect weather. There were 11 birders and 48 species sighted.