BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – The North Cascades Audobon Society’s Bellingham Bird Week is over halfway complete, with a plethora of avian-related activities under its belt. Thursday, Oct. 8’s owling excursion wasn’t just your average walk in Cornwall Park.

A group of 20 met at 8 a.m. near the Meridian Street entrance to the park. With wildlife photographer and NCAS volunteer Joey Skaran at the helm, they set off into the forest of the park.

The first pit stop lent focus to a white laundry basket perched in a Douglas fir. Skaran said the basket has been used as a great horned owl nest since it was placed there by a human over a decade ago.

Attendees of a group owling trip walk through a wooded area of Cornwall Park in search of Great Horned and Barred Owls. Photo by Adam Rideout Redeker
A laundry basket sits in a tree at Cornwall Park. The basket was placed there by a human and later became a Great Horned Owl nest. Photo by Adam Rideout Redeker

The group lingered near the basket for 10 minutes before traversing further down the narrow dirt trail and stopping again near a foliage-enveloped tree clearing.

It was there that the keen eyes of the trip attendees would catch their first – and only – glimpse of a great horned owl. The owl made a short appearance, swooping past distant trees, before disappearing below the line of sight.

Trekking onward gave the group a glimpse of several vibrant Steller’s jays.

Attendees held their phones while traveling the trail system. The Merlin Bird ID app gave the group real-time birdcall identification.

Skaran remarked that an eruption of calls could be birds warning each other of a nearby predator. A short time later, a chorus of Steller’s jay calls was heard through the brush.

The calls died down with no owl sighting, but moving further down the path led to more variety.

Cameras and binoculars went up at the mention of a red-breasted nuthatch that popped out onto a branch above the trail.

Further down, a Dark-eyed Junco made its presence known.

Attendees of a group owling trip at Cornwall Park raise their respective binoculars and cameras to catch a glimpse of a Varied Thrush. Photo By Adam Rideout Redeker.
Attendees of a group owling trip at Cornwall Park raise their binoculars toward the tops of trees. Photo by Adam Rideout Redeker.

The most attention-grabbing sighting of the morning came as the group neared the parking lot.

A varied thrush, nestled in a short tree, stood completely still for minutes as the group observed it. Skaran said he’d never seen one in Cornwall Park before.

The final bird activity of the trip was the most exciting, though most of the group had trickled out by the time it was spotted.

Thirty feet up in a fir right above the parking lot, two Northern Flickers engaged in what seemed like a mating ritual. They danced face-to-face while gripping onto the side of the tree, before flapping around one another.

A Northern Flicker dances around a tree at Cornwall Park. The Flicker was seen engaging in what seemed to be a mating ritual with another nearby Flicker. Photo by Adam Rideout Redeker.

A healthy mix of bird sightings, and a fleeting glimpse of an owl made a success out of the morning’s owling excursion. Skaran mentioned that he would like to conduct more owling field trips in the future.

Joey Skaran, a wildlife photographer and North Cascades Audubon Society volunteer poses after leading an owling trip at Cornwall Park. Photo by Adam Rideout Redeker.

Bellingham Bird Week wraps up this Saturday, with a few more NCAS events on the docket.

On Friday, Oct. 9 at 5:30 p.m., Mayor Kim Lund will announce the official Bird of Bellingham from the Bellingham Cruise Terminal Dome Room.

The public can still submit their votes for the city’s official bird on the NCAS website.

Following the announcement, Dr. Jill Deppe will take the stage with a public keynote on World Migratory Bird Day. A bird trivia night and a queer birding event will take place on Saturday, Oct. 10, with more details on the NCAS website.