Mindful Birding Missive: 5 May 2026
Dear Birders,
 
Port Stanley Pond was a wonder this morning with geese, ducks, shorebirds and swallows. (Click on the underlined links to see photos & info at Cornell's All About Birds website.) Goslings trundled between devoted Canada Goose gander (male) and goose (female) pairs. Green-winged Teal foraged busily in the shallows while Northern Pintail and Gadwall tipped up in deeper water. Beth was excited that the male Blue-winged Teal (an unusual species on Lopez) she saw yesterday was still present, today with a female. This photo of the male was taken from a distance by local photographer Scott Hatch.
 
Male Blue-winged Teal resting at Port Stanley Pond by Scott Hatch
 
Shorebirds came in four sizes: the largest, Long-billed Dowitchers, who probed in deeper water; medium-large Killdeer with two black chest bands & the cutest puffball chicks (don't miss the video on the Cornell All About Birds link!); medium-small Dunlin in breeding colors with black bellies; and smallest Western Sandpipers with black legs (as opposed to pale legs for the very similar least sandpiper, which we did not see). 
 
Four was also the number of swallow species: Barn Swallow with tawny undersides & long forked tails; Violet-green Swallow with white patches on the sides of the rump & white cheeks; the similar Tree Swallow with all dark upperparts (emerald in good light) and pale underparts; and Northern Rough-winged Swallow with brown upperparts.
 
On the lawn across the street, American Robins and European Starlings foraged for worms while a pair of American Goldfinches plucked seeds. White-crowned and Savannah Sparrows sang from shrubs and fences, respectively. Though quality matters more than quantity (we enjoyed quality views and time with each species), we tallied 18 species. What a FUN morning!
 
The next walk will be on Tuesday, May 19. 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.

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.
Sibley's Birds of the Pacific Northwest Coast
by David Allen Sibley

53 waterbirds commonly found in the region; migratory birds and year-round residents; shorebirds, gulls and terns; wading birds; ducks. Waterproof, accordion-style.

 
Sibley's Backyard Birds of the Pacific Northwest
by David Allen Sibley

69 land birds commonly found in the region; migratory species and year-round residents; songbirds, hawks, woodpeckers and more. Waterproof, accordion-style.
 

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