Mindful Birding Missive: 19 May 2026
 Dear Birders,
 
Proper anti-mosquito dress was in vogue on this morning's outing to Hummel Lake! Fortunately, the mosquitos left us alone on the dock, so we could spend a mindful hour birding without slapping. A delightful morning it was, requiring patience for the birds to come out in the open for everyone to admire. 
 
First bird was Song Sparrow in the willows followed by Chestnut-backed Chickadee in an alder. A male Yellow Warbler sang and sang, finally popping out into the open. Male Red-winged Blackbirds shone glossy black with their signature red epaulettes. Three species of Swallow - Barn, Violet-green, Northern Rough-winged - danced and zipped over water and trees after insects (hopefully catching lots of mosquitos!). Male Rufous Hummingbird perched on high on a bare branch. Male Common Yellowthroat made brief appearances. Male Black-headed Grosbeak perched and sang many minutes from a distant alder snag. As you can see, we heard and saw males only as the females are likely on nests. A blessing of birds!
 
The next walks will be on Tuesdays, June 2 & 16. Outings are limited to 6 people for a quality experience, so please sign up early at the library or by emailing Beth@LopezLibrary.org
 
Thanks for being with the birds!
Beth

For the Birds
Lights Out for Migrating Birds
 Click on the link above for more information.

Recommended Resources
Cornell Lab's All About Birds

An amazing free resource from Cornell University. A field guide online plus articles, Live Cams, Courses, and more. Look up each bird we saw to see multiple photos of each species, including male/female/immature, perched/flying images, as well as food, nesting, behavior, and conservation information.

Birdbrains: A Lyrical Guide to Washington State Birds
by Susan Rich, Stephanie Delaney, and Hiroko Seki

Birdbrains: A Lyrical Guide to Washington State Birds is a one-of-a-kind Washington State bird guide. The anthology includes original pen and ink sumi-e paintings by artist Hiroko Seki, bird fact notes, and short poems/stories/memoir. Poems/prose are bird-focused rather than human centered. The bird notes include information about song, call, mating rituals, habitat, migration, climate, dark comedy, and fun facts. There's a saying among people who look up at the sky to view birds-the more you study birds, the smarter they become. That's the inside joke for the title of this anthology. Birdbrain is a compliment to the birds and to the humans who take time to study them. For example, Magpies can recognize themselves in the mirror; Chickadees collect one thousand seeds a day, hide them over miles, and then find them again; and crows frequently hold crow funerals after one of their own dies-first there is stillness, then quiet, then keening. From the most common Rock Pigeon, to the rare Myst¿rium Rara Avis, we hope this collection will offer you wonder and joy. Get up from wherever you are sitting right now and go outdoors, binoculars or not. Watch what is happening all around us. With the right kind of attention, what might we see?

THANKS FOR THE RECOMMENDATION, DEBORAH! WE HAVE IT AT THE LIBRARY. CHECK OUT THE BARN SWALLOW POEM, "aerialists" by Lopez poet Andrew Robin, which captures the essence of these beautiful birds. 

 
Birdbrains: A Lyrical Guide to Washington State Birds by null
National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America by Jon L. Dunn
National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America
by Jon L. Dunn

National Geographic's iconic, best-selling guide for birders and birding enthusiasts of all levels includes unique subspecies maps never before seen in a field guide; extensive migration information overlaid on species maps; field-mark labels on all artwork; text updates with new species; reorganization reflecting taxonomic changes in the bird community; organization, readability, and increased page count.
Peterson field guide to birds of western North America / : Includes Birds of Hawaii
by Roger Tory Peterson

"A new edition of the best-selling field guide, with 25 all-new plates covering the birds of Hawaii"
The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America by David Allen Sibley
The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America
by David Allen Sibley

Now completely revised and updated, the authoritative guide to over 700 birds of the American West from renowned birder, illustrator, and New York Times bestselling author David Sibley Compact and comprehensive, this guide features 715 bird species, plus regional populations, found west of the Rocky Mountains. Entries include stunningly accurate illustrations--more than 5,046 in total--with descriptive captions pointing out the most important field marks. Each entry also includes the most current information concerning frequency, nesting, behavior, food and feeding, voice description, and key identification features. This improved edition includes: - Updated habitat, description, behavior, and conservation text for each species account and all family pages.- New and revised illustrations of species and regional forms.- New design featuring species accounts in columns, allowing for better comparison and more illustrations and text.- Current taxonomic order and up-to-date common names.- All maps revised to reflect the most current range information.- More species and rarities included. The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America contains more than 652 updated maps drawn from information contributed by 110 regional experts across the continent, and shows winter, summer, year-round, migration, and rare ranges.

Lopez Island Library
2225 Fisherman Bay Rd
Lopez Island, Washington 98261
360-468-2265
www.lopezlibrary.org