101 Things To Do In Ballard: Avian action at Golden Gardens

Ed. Note: This week marks the return of 101 Things To Do In Ballard as a regular feature on www.BallardNewsTribune.com. Crown Hill resident Jill Irwin is taking the column over from Esther Shin.

So maybe you thought birdwatching was sorta boring? Think again.

We’re fortunate here in Ballard to have a prime spot to watch the birds and waterfowl at the north end of Golden Gardens Park. It’s a nonstop avian party down there from fall through spring when the migratory birds and ducks swing by.

To get to the prime birdwatching area, walk as far as you can north in the park until you come to a bridge between two restored wetland ponds just before the north beach.

The waterfowl and birds generally linger in and around the ponds, but be sure to go out to the northern beach, and you’ll likely see some waterfowl out fishing or lounging in the Sound.

Today I’m tagging along with Carolyn Bell, a Ballard resident who goes to the park pretty much every morning to check out the birds and ducks (after coffee and pastry at Café Besalu).

Besides looking for various species, Carolyn learns a lot by observing the different behaviors of the ducks, geese, raptors and other bird life that stop by Golden Gardens.

“Recently, there was quite a romance going on between the Barrow’s goldeneyes (Bucephala islandica—a small duck), which don’t mingle much with the common goldeneyes," Carolyn says. "The female kept jerking her head back like a teenaged girl flipping her hair.”

It’s a gray, chilly morning with a biting wind. I’m glad I brought a hat and gloves to wrap around my binoculars.

Mornings, and especially week days when it’s less crowded, are the best time to see the birds and ducks.

As I head toward the north meadow to meet Carolyn, a big flock of wigeons (Anas Americana—another small duck) are nibbling in the grass just south of the wetlands.

“Widgeons are very communal,” says Carolyn. “Most of them feed together in a big pack. If something disturbs them, they all fly together back to the pond.”

This happens as I’m on the bridge watching. Once back in the pond, after rustling their feathers, stretching wings and such, the wigeons start “talking” to each other in little coos—not quacks.

“When they’re calm and content, wigeons make a happy rumbling noise, sort of like an elephant purring.” (I didn’t know elephants purred either, but I know exactly what Carolyn means when I hear the wigeons rumble.)

Besides the wigeons, I see several mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) couples swimming around the ponds.

“The mallards stay all year and will only go out to the Sound if it’s as calm as a bathtub. They’re the couch potatoes of the ducks,” observes Carolyn.

A pair of small black and white bufflehead ducks (Bucephala albeola) also swim by.

“Right now that pair of buffleheads are living out in the pond. They keep to themselves,” she says.

Up in the bare native trees above the wetlands, I see and hear what Carolyn tells me is the first red-winged blackbird of the season (a sign of a premature spring, thanks to El Nino).

“The pussy willows have been out for a few weeks already. And there are not as many waterfowl as usual for this time of year; they seem to be confused by the El Nino," she says.

After enjoying the various ducks, we walk out to the north beach. Carolyn points to some branches broken off from the small, protective native trees growing around the wetlands.

“People get drunk here and try to pull off branches for their beach fires, which of course don’t burn well because they are small and too green,” she sighs. “Sometimes after nighttime parties, the beach is strewn with beer cans and broken bottles.”

I see a few beer bottles on the beach this morning—a reminder that we humans are maybe not as evolved as we like to think we are. Or at least as considerate.

Several dark, slender-necked cormorants are popping in and out of the Sound about 30 yards offshore. We also spy some little mergansers (another small duck) that dive quickly without spending too much time on the water surface.

“Mergansers are down from the Arctic right now. They’re very efficient swimmers and fish in little groups in the channel as it curves towards the north end of park,” Carolyn says. “Sometimes it’s a feeding frenzy with lots of fish passing by. The mergansers get so excited they run across the top of the water.”

After about 30 minutes, I need to get back to my work day. As we walk back south down the beach together, Carolyn tells me she’s seen osprey off the north end of the park recently.

I want to come back soon and see what other species show up. Will the buffleheads and wigeons still be there? Will mallards get off their bums and hop out to the Sound? Will the Barrow’s goldeneyes consummate their romance? Enquiring minds want to know.

If you go, please be respectful of the birds and ducks and native plants. Dress for the weather. Binoculars and a bird book or chart are helpful but not necessary.

Seattleite Jill Irwin has lived in Crown Hill since 1997. She writes about travel and things to do around the region for Pacific Northwest Seasons.