West Seattle wildlife: Genesee hawk, Alki brant, Arroyos coyote

| Coyotes | West Seattle news | Wildlife

Three West Seattle wildlife notes tonight: First, that photo from Creighton came with this explanation: “Found a red-tail hawk in my Genesee Hill backyard today, finishing up his breakfast of one very unlucky starling.” (9:04 pm update from comments – apparently a sharp-shinned hawk!)

Second, Guy Smith has just provided his second annual report on the arrival of brant – the small, white-ringed-neck geese – on West Seattle shores:

Our brant showed up just after noon today on winter solstice; nearly a month later than normal. Was their late arrival weather-related? Probably, but we don’t know for sure. This is only the second time in the last 17 years they have been this late. But to paraphrase from the brant story published last (November); “On this chilly, shortest day of 2010, our brant and their young winged into the shore north of Alki Point, made a pass, then banked south around the point to the waters along West Seattle, where they will winter and start their annual cycle again.”

Last but not least, a coyote report from Wendy:

I was on my way home on Tuesday night around 10 pm, driving up Marine View Drive. Just past the intersection of SW 106th I realized I was following a coyote that was on a dead run down the middle of the Drive. It turned down into the Arroyos on 42nd Ave SW, flew down the hill, and turned left onto SW 109th St, where I lost track of it. It looked healthy and well fed. There are quite a few cats in our neighborhood; I hope people keep them in at night!

Cheryl December 21, 2010 (8:48 pm)

Looks more like a Sharp-Shinned Hawk (yellow eyes, more mottled/stripey feathers & yellow legs), but I’m viewing the WSB from my cell phone so the pic is really small and hard for me to tell for sure. Great shot either way!

Creighton December 21, 2010 (8:56 pm)

Cheryl, I do think you’re right! Thanks! It’s a sharp-shinned hawk. From a bird book I’ve got, “Often seen swooping in on birds visiting feeders.”

enviromaven December 21, 2010 (9:06 pm)

Sharpies are frequent visitors to my garden on the Gatewood Hill. I saw one today while I was walking my dog. Lovely little raptors!

JumboJim December 21, 2010 (9:50 pm)

Note to Guy. Not sure what part of the WS shoreline you are near but I saw 20 Brant at Alki on December 6th. I haven’t been back down there since, but they may have just been hanging out in a slightly different area than where you usually see them. They were flying around offshore from the Statue of Liberty, east of the lighthouse. Usually I see them west of the lighthouse, towards Constellation Park.
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Also, I agree that is a Sharp-shinned Hawk. Not as common as Cooper’s Hawks around here (at least in upper Fauntleroy), so nice to see one is hanging around.

35this35mph December 21, 2010 (10:46 pm)

Mmmmmmm…. Starling!

Lauren December 22, 2010 (8:11 am)

Jim! Hi!
I see accipiters frequently on Southern and usually think “sharpie” but you say there are more Coopers up here? I will have to learn better ID in flight.

lucky chick December 22, 2010 (8:35 am)

It’s a sharpie (note the relatively small head compared to the body). They are quite common here in winter and during migration, but Cooper’s commonly breed here whereas sharpies don’t. Cool birds, all! Watched a Cooper’s eat a flicker in my yard in August.
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Another note – I saw 2 red-throated loons at Lincoln Park last Sunday. Minutes later, some loser on a jet-ski drove his toy right through them and flushed them, as well as some bufflehead, golden-eye, horned grebe, surf scoter, and harlequin. It was disgusting.

GCS December 22, 2010 (10:14 am)

As JumboJim points out, first brant geese arrival dates are hard to pin down. His Dec 6 sighting is just slightly past the normal window. So after hearing from the replay booth, Guy is reversing his initial call and recommends that we declare those birds on-time.

dawsonct December 22, 2010 (10:59 am)

Yay, Sharpie! Eat more starling! In fact, feel free to kill them just for sport and practice!

MMB December 22, 2010 (11:04 am)

I share lucky chick’s disgust at the cruel and destructive behavior of the jet-ski rider. Some of our winter visitor birds are declining in number, and at any rate, they deserve our respect and admiration.

DGS December 22, 2010 (2:59 pm)

My son, who is home from college for the holidays, went for a run yesterday around noon. He said he saw a large bird “hanging out” in a huge puddle in our alley around 48th & S.W. Stevens. He said it did not appear to be bathing in the way other birds do. After his run, he told me about the bird, relating how it refused to move for a car that had stopped for it, until the bird had finished whatever it was doing in the puddle. My son found this behavior particularly amusing (and cool), as birds usually fly away at the first sign of danger.
My son is a faithful reader of WSB both at home and when away at school. When the picture of the hawk was posted later in the day, he said this is the bird he saw. Are these hawks really that fearless? Can anyone explain it’s behavior, and what was it doing in the puddle? Is there any chance it will come back again, or even better, make it’s home nearby? Is there anything we can do to make it more inviting to stay around?
We don’t wish to interfere, it’s just so much fun to observe it’s behavior.

WestSide45 December 22, 2010 (3:22 pm)

The bird pictured above is not big, it stands about 10-14″ tall, whereas a Red-tailed Hawk is about 22″ tall. It will hang around if it has a decent food supply (other birds feeding at your feeders) so keep your feeders stocked. However, there are lots of folks feeding wintering birds these days, so food is plentiful for raptors.
As to what is was doing in the puddle . . . it could have been bathing or softening a particularly tough bit of comestible.

JumboJim December 22, 2010 (3:50 pm)

The bird in the puddle may have been bathing and birds in general aren’t afraid of slow moving cars, so that’s prob. why it didn’t fly away. Sometimes they seem to like a slow soak of the belly feathers (who doesn’t?). Redtails are usually very wary of humans in cars though. Their vision is amazingly powerful and slowing down as you look out the window at them often makes them fly away, whereas they will stay in place if you just drive by at normal speed and don’t stare at them.
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When I led hawk ID classes for Seattle Audubon I taught students to find a spot about 50-100 yards (not feet) away from the bird where you could watch with binoculars or scope. You get a much better look that way and don’t disturb the bird. Accipiters like Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks seem a bit less wary, although they don’t sit still long unless they’ve just eaten.

toddinwestwood December 22, 2010 (5:44 pm)

We have seen a bird just like the one pictured here at 21st and Roxbury many times this later summer and fall. The last time being one of the snow days.
It was hanging out in my neighbor’s tree and a couple times flying low over our yard.

Sorry, comment time is over.