Wild Fidalgo

Golden-crowned Sparrow at Wiley Slough I was on Fir Island last week hiking along the Spur Dike Trail at Wiley Slough .  This is always a good place for bird watching, but it was unusually quiet on this morning.  Sub-freezing temperatures may have been responsible for that. Along the edge of the dike, I did encounter a small group of Golden-crowned Sparrows (Zonotrichia atricapilla) foraging on the frost-covered ground.  There were five altogether, busily scratching in the grass.  Such a group of Golden-crowneds is called a "reign."  I guess this helps them maintain a regal bearing.  They appeared to be eating seeds and other bits of vegetation.  They also eat shoots, berries, flowers, buds and insects, according to iBird Pro .  In my yard, they are attracted to feeders containing suet or safflower seed. BirdCam Photo, South Fidalgo Island I also caught a Golden-crowned Sparrow at  BirdCam One in my yard last week.  They winter in a strip from Vancouver Islan

Trumpeter and Tundra Swans spend winters in the fields of the Skagit Valley of Washington State.  They have become one of the iconic images of winter here.  Just over a year ago, I posted photos of Trumpeters shot from the same spot.  This year, the birds were farther from the road, but the group was much larger.  The first task was to figure out if these were Trumpeters again or Tundra Swans.  For that I severely cropped a photo to get a closeup view: A flat crown of the head sloping evenly with a straight bill, and the lack of a yellow spot in front of the eye reveals these to be Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) once again. The fields last year were grass covered.  This year they are muddy and bare.  We had a bit of drought during the summer and fall before the rains came with a vengeance.  This may explain the difference. In the adjacent field just north of this group, there were two more larger gatherings.  I estimate there were 200 birds or more altogether.  I