Birds From A to Z

Joe Meche is president of the North Cascades Audubon Society and also serves the chapter as newsletter editor and birding programs coordinator. He has been watching birds for over  50 years and photographing birds and landscapes for more than 30 years.

Bird watchers and especially bird photographers are prone to spend a considerable amount of time watching birds in any number of locations. We walk, we drive and we search for birdlife. When no birds are present but expected in a favorite location, we wait. The things we might do while we wait vary considerably. Everyone has his/her own routine, I’m sure, to bide the time until that special bird comes into view. Some might nap while others might reflect on their innumerable lists!

Bird aficionados work on their lists as fervently as they pursue new species to add to those lists. My own penchant for words and bird names often takes me down different paths of meditation while I wait. One of my exercises led to a slide presentation that I did a few years ago where I offered an alphabetical list of birds. I had to stretch the limits of poetic elasticity a few times but I pulled it off.

In a world that lately appears to be heading off the deep end, it’s good to see that some things retain order, and what’s more orderly than the good old alphabet? The ABCs! We’re all taught the alphabet early in our lives and it becomes a fundamental part of our personal knowledge. However, I did work once with a gentleman from east Texas who claimed that he couldn’t remember “all the letters.” He claimed that he wasn’t taught the alphabet the same way that I was. Oh well, what’s a fellow to do?

With that brief bit of background and the summer sun hinting that I should spend more time outside and away from this keyboard, I’ll offer this alphabetical list of birds for your perusal. This list is off the top of my head and meant to be fun. As I type to fill in one letter, I think of several other species, but I’ll not complicate the thread. “KISS,” I say to myself (Keep It Simple, Stupid).

My intent here is to try to incorporate local birds but I must occasionally stray slightly off the beaten path. As you read this list, you’re certain to begin creating your own. And remember, my poetic license is valid in all 50 states and most provinces. Enjoy this quick list and create your own!

Auklets and their kin can be found in local waters through most of the year. The primary representative is the rhinoceros auklet, which is a frequent addition to a trip list on most ferry crossings in the Puget Sound area.

Bitterns are one of the truly marvelous birds of wetland habitats. Their secretive ways and outrageous calls are quite appealing to bird watchers, as well as bird listeners. Oong-ka’ choonk.

Cormorants are plentiful to the point of being overwhelming at times in certain locations. Our double-crested variety is always easy to find.

Dippers are a joy to observe in their normal habitat of rushing mountain cascades, and even a few slower-moving local streams like Whatcom Creek. We located one on a recent Christmas Bird Count (CBC) on the fish ladder in the hatchery at Maritime Heritage Center.

Eagles, especially the bald variety, seem to be prospering quite well, since it’s increasingly difficult to go on a bird-watching outing without seeing one. Their nests are becoming more and more numerous and add to the quality of life in our part of the world.

Flickers are one of the most noticeable of our woodpecker species. Even if you don’t see one, there’s no doubt when you hear their distinctive calls.

Gyrfalcons are occasional winter visitors and one of the birds that will cause many folks to forget about gas prices and head out in pursuit. Everyone needs a gyr on their life list.

Hummingbirds offer a bit of joy close to home, especially for those who might not be able to get out to see other birds in the field. Rufous and Anna’s hummingbirds will come to your home if you provide the proper food. And what a treat they are.

Icterids are all around us. This is the family of birds that includes meadowlarks, blackbirds and orioles. From North America’s most numerous species — the red-winged blackbird — to the orioles, icterids provide a great variety of birds.

Jays can be found throughout the county during the entire year. The common Steller’s jays give way in higher elevations to the gray jay, which has a number of other names, like Canada jay, whiskey jack, camp robber and probably a few that are unprintable.

Kinglets often pose challenges in the field, given their propensity for darting about in the treetops.

Loons are the magical birds of the Far North, and several species can be found on saltwater habitats in the winter.

Mergansers are some of the most entertaining of the diving ducks.

Nuthatches are easily recognized, both visually and by their familiar calls.

Ospreys are always a sign of spring, since they migrate to more southerly climes during the winter.

Ptarmigan can be found throughout the year in the right habitat — the mountains. The area around Artist Point is a good place to begin looking for ptarmigan as soon as you’re able to get there in midsummer or by skis or snowshoes in the winter.

Quail are present locally in the form of northern bobwhites and California quail, although sightings are not altogether frequent.

Ravens and their crow cousins are among the most intelligent of all bird species. Crows, needless to say, are an easy addition to any day’s checklist.

Swallows are the true heralds of spring in these parts. They are underrated and misunderstood by many but their insatiable appetites for flying insects is commendable.

Terns are local treats, both in migration and in the large number of Caspian terns that spend their summers here, emitting their unmistakable and raucous cries, sometimes well into the night and early morning hours.

Uria aalge is the scientific name for the common murre, a regular entry on CBC checklists.

Vultures probably receive more scrutiny because the initial thought is “eagle.”

Warblers are here in smaller numbers in winter but springtime brings many more of these bundles of joy to our woodlots and wetlands.

Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus might not ring a bell but this is the scientific name for the yellow-headed blackbird. This east side bird is showing up more frequently on the west side.

Yellowthroats are common breeders in many wetlands throughout the county, and their wichity, wichity, witchy provides us with an easy field identification.

Zonotrichia leucophrys is another name that might not sound familiar, but it’s the scientific name for the white-crowned sparrow.

Well, we did it. Now, put this list away, work on your own list of birds from A to Z, and see how you, too, can spend time sitting on a beach or in a blind. At the Malheur Field Station on the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Oregon, the trailers are named after birds, and they’re lined up along the gravel drive in alphabetical order. It’s always refreshing to see the familiar bird names on the signs outside the trailers. We’ve always stayed in the Dipper, right between Curlew and Egret.

Have fun out there! §