Bird watching at the Ballard Locks

All eyes were to the sky Sunday morning as a group of a dozen people went on a bird walk at the Ballard Locks.

The group was led by Master Birders Penny Rose and Scott Hoskin. Penny is a naturalist at Discovery Park and runs Ramblin Rose Birding Adventures. This morning’s walk was Hoskin’s idea (a.k.a Blue Dog in the forum). He posted the walk in the forum on Friday but doing a walk like this has been on his mind for awhile, “I thought about it about a year ago when somebody had posted something about birds and it seemed like a lot of interest,” he tells us.

A song sparrow serenades the group on the Magnolia side of the Locks.

Twenty species were seen this morning, which isn’t a spectacular amount. “The species count isn’t real high, but what we’re seeing is pretty amazing,” Hoskin says, explaining that the resident birds are busy nesting as the migrant birds make their way back to Seattle.

Great blue heron watching in the Kiwanis Ravine. You can watch the great blue herons in the Kiwanis Ravine live through this Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife camera.

“I had a wonderful time and learned lots of new things about many of the bird species I’ve been watching for many years. It’s amazing how much more you can observe when you have experienced leaders and a group of extra eyes,” Clamster wrote in the forum.

A juvenile double crested cormorant at the Locks.