After the big day on Mount Roberts, my friend and I gave ourselves a relaxing morning, then hopped over the bridge to bird Douglas Island. We managed to hit a few nice spots and see some new birds for the trip while also conserving energy for the next few days where we would be staying the night at Point Bridget State Park.
Our first stop on Douglas was the Nine Mile Creek which, in the middle of the afternoon, was pretty underwhelming. I was hoping to spot my first Vaux's Swifts, but there were hardly any birds beyond some gulls.
Next, we paused at one of the scenic overlooks on the North Douglas Highway and scanned the shore for birds. Our luck was a lot better here. We saw Pacific Loons flying over the water. A pair of Harlequin Ducks basked on the rocks. A ways off the shore, there was a big pack of scoters. I took a few shots, seeing White-winged and Surf Scoters in the mix and wouldn't realize until I got back from Alaska that there were two (or more) Black Scoters--lifer! In the middle picture, the Black Scoter has the small, plain-black, rounded head and the solid-orange bill.
Just around the bend was the Rainforest Trail. No lifers, but the trail led us to my first Alaskan Red-winged Blackbird and Red-necked Grebe! We also saw and heard plenty of Red-breasted Sapsuckers.
Our last spot for the day was the Eaglecrest skiing area. Not a ton of birds around in the stretch that we walked, but we did we get some close looks at the Steller's Jays and juncos.
And then some dinner and relaxing.
