On my first morning visiting Seattle in the Northwest Pacific area of USA I went a walk with my big lens around the city’s Green Lake Park. I would say it is the same size of park as Strathclyde Country Park back home. I was very curious to see which birds and wildlife would be totally new to see or which would be the same as back home. I made some interesting discoveries …
This is an American robin, not at all like the robins we see in the UK. It is the size of a blackbird. It seemed equally unfazed by humans jogging or walking past.
I’ve missed hearing blackbirds heralding in the Spring, alas none to be heard here in the Northwest Pacific region. However lots of these song sparrows were singing their hearts out.
Canada geese were all around the park, I didn’t have to look up what they were!
I saw two new types of duck. There were numerous American wigeons and I spotted a pair of diving bufflehead ducks. The ubiquitous mallards were here too. What was really missing from the lake was swans! They don’t get swans in most of the US. The lake looked quite empty without swans.
However some sights are very familiar …
What I didn’t expect to see in the heart of this bustling city was an American bald eagle, but why not? Here was one perched atop a pine tree, I was told probably fishing for trout in this well stocked lake.
There was a big flock of these tittering birds in a path side tree and I had to look them up in my bird book. I believe this is a redpoll, which I have occasionally seen in UK but not enough to recognize one when I see it.
Finally I think I did see a type of blackbird, the red winged blackbird, (although it is only a bar of colour on the wing and not very red here). But what a shame the folk here in America don’t hear the blackbirds singing in Spring like we do.
Sarah's Wildlife Watch 