Our 24-hour Bird-A-Thon would start at the sound of the first owl call. For those unfamiliar with the term, a Bird-A-Thon is a fundraising campaign where individual donors sponsor your team’s efforts to identify as many different bird species as possible within a set window of time. In this case, money raised goes directly to supporting research conducted by Point Blue Conservation Science. Learn more HERE.

September 30th

9:30 PM – 11:30 PM

Casey and I set up camp at Fort Ebey on Whidbey Island the day before our big birding event. With the truck unpacked and tent in place, I whipped up a quick dinner on a portable cooktop and we settled in for an evening away from our computers around a warm campfire. Celina and Bryan joined us shortly after dusk, and while conversing with our beverages of choice, glancing occasionally away from the fire at the dappled stars through the tall canopy of conifers overhead, the characteristic screech of a barn owl caught our ears. It was the first owl call of the night, Puget Sounderlings inaugural Rich Stallcup Bird-A-Thon was officially on. Renee and Rachel would arrive a bit later in the night, and we all retired to our respective sleeping bags with thoughts of the many birds we would find in the morning.

1. Barn Owl
2. Barred Owl

October 1st

7:15 AM – 8:10 AM

Owls in fact made a big showing to start things off. Throughout the night, while intermittently waking to the sound of snoring both near and far, the distant calls of a barred owl were heard, and in the morning after breakfast we were treated to a great-horned owl roosting a low limb just outside of camp. We can thank Bryan for spotting that one. Spirits were high, and with breakfast burritos as fuel, we began our search along the steep coastal bluffs of Whidbey Island.

3. American Robin
4. Fox Sparrow
5. Winter Wren
6. Great-horned Owl
7. Black-capped Chickadee

8:30 AM – 10:20 AM

An unseasonably warm and dry fall was a bit unnerving, but it did provide for a beautiful day of observing wildlife. The forest trail from camp allowed us to add a few tree dwelling species to our list, and once we reached the bluff, a cornucopia of marine and coastal species greeted our binoculars. Looking west across the entrance to Puget Sound, placid waters sparkling in the bright morning light were speckled with all sorts of good finds.

8. Red-breasted Nuthatch
9. Northern Flicker
10. Golden-crowned Kinglet
11. Surf Scoter
12. Glaucous-winged Gull
13. Heermann’s Gull
14. Double-crested Cormorant
15. Common Loon
16. Red-necked Grebe
17. Ring-billed Gull
18. Rhinoceros Auklet
19. Northern Harrier
20. Pacific Loon
21. Common Raven
22. Horned Grebe
23. Common Murre
24. Pigeon Guillemot
25. American Crow
26. Great Blue Heron
27. Harlequin Duck
28. Bonaparte’s Gull
29. California Gull
30. Brown Creeper

11:10 AM – 11:55 AM

Once we were confident we had combed through all of the different mixed flocks on the water, we made our way back to camp to regroup and move on to our next destination. Hitting the road, we drove over Deception Pass, but given the crowds and the fact that we had checked off most of the common marine birds, we decided to press on. Not missing any opportunities, we managed to grab a few more species during the commute. Drive by birding.

31. European Starling
32. Red-tailed Hawk
33. Brewer’s Blackbird
34. Mourning Dove
35. American White Pelican
36. Turkey Vulture
37. Vaux’s Swift.

1:25 PM

A mysterious flat tire through a wrench in our plans, and Casey and I had to peel off from the rest of the group to switch out for the spare. Competing team perhaps? The source of the flat remains unsolved. We eventually met up for lunch in Edison, and added House Sparrow (38) and Red-winged Blackbird (39) to our list while eating tacos off the tailgate.

2:00 PM – 2:25 PM

A walk was in order after lunch, so we took a brief stroll along the dikes of Padilla in the fall afternoon breeze. High tide hindered the shorebirds we were hoping to find at this spot, but it felt good to stretch the legs.

40. Snow Geese
41. Killdeer
42. Western Meadowlark
43. Western Sandpiper
44. Savannah Sparrow.

3:25 PM – 4:15 PM

A quick drive down the road, and we finally found the waterfowl finale we had been hoping for at Fir Island. With blood sugar levels getting low at this point, the sight of hundreds of ducks and geese wading in a marshy floodplain was a big morale boost. Wigeons and pintails abound, and we finally got a Canada Goose!

45. Canada Goose
46. American Wigeon
47. Northern Pintail
48. Bald Eagle
49. Mallard
50. American Coot
51. Northern Shoveler
52. American Avocet
53. Peregrine Falcon
54. Pectoral Sandpiper
55. Green-winged Teal
56. Long-billed Dowitcher
57. Lesser Yellowlegs
58. Barn Swallow
59. Black-bellied Plover
60. American Pippit

4:30 PM – 5:00 PM

We had achieved our estimated target of 60 species, not bad for a group of novice birders. But there was word of a possible wood duck not too far away at Wiley Slough, so while the rest of the group turned back towards camp to get a jump on dinner, Casey and I went to check it out. Success, wood ducks right where they were supposed to be. Thanks technology.

61. Wood Duck
62. Spotted Towhee
63. Cassin’s Vireo
64. Band-tailed Pigeon

6:30 PM

Arriving back at Fort Ebey Campground just before dusk, we decided to make one last stop at the bluffs to watch the sun sink below the watery horizon. The wildfire smoke tinted the setting sun a brilliant red. Soaking up the remaining light through the scope, I spotted a familiar shape that, despite having studied them for 5 years during my PhD, we neglected to search for earlier in the day. A group of Cassin’s Auklets, a fitting end to a fun day of birding for a good cause with friends. Thanks to all who sponsored our team this year!

65. Brandt’s Cormorant
66. Cassin’s Auklet!!!!