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Saturday, June 16, 2012

Where should I go birding in July?

July usually has pleasant warm weather in the Pacific NW. It's one of my favorite times to visit the high Cascades. Those master singers, Hermit Thrushes, give their symphonic flute music in the pre-sunrise forest gloom. And I could search burns in the high alpine forests for Black-backed and American Three-toed Woodpeckers.

Amazingly, adult shorebirds are already coming back from the Arctic. Nesting duties done, the adults start back for their wintering grounds. The juvenile birds will spend a few more weeks feeding on the abundant insects in the Arctic. Then they, too, will head south, guided only by instinct, and join the adults on some Central American beach or marsh.

If it gets too hot inland, I will head to the cold foggy beach. The Brown Pelicans and Heermann's Gulls undertake a post-breeding reverse migration of sorts. After they breed in Baja, they come north along the coast to feed in the rich waters of the California current, north to British Columbia, before heading back south in November.

There seems to be no bird festivals held in July in the Pacific NW.

Those are my ideas. What about you? Where will you be going in July? Where do you recommend?

Are you a field trip organizer? We want to hear what you offer (fee or free). Leave your response in the Comments section as ideas for others.