Birding on Orcas Island
Birding on Orcas Island
Bird watching on Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands, and particularly at Otters Pond Bed and Breakfast, is a memorable experience for any birder. At the bottom see links to other useful birding sites. We have a well-positioned photo area for great image taking!!
Birders Online Resources
Washington Ornithological Society
Bird List
On the following list are birds that can be sighted in and around the various habitats of Orcas Island during various seasons of the year. This is a site-specific list and does not include all the birds sighted on Orcas Island. A comprehensive list of the birds in the San Juan Islands, can be found as a checklist in the book, Birding in the San Juan Islands, by Mark Lewis & Fred A. Sharpe
Key
Seasons: All=All seasons, W=Winter, Sp=Spring, S=Summer, F=Fall
Occurrence: A= abundant; seen almost always
C= common; often seen
U= uncommon; seen occasionally
* indicates nesting and breeding on Island
OP= Identified at Otters Pond
- Pied-billed Grebe * All / C / OP
- Double-crested Cormorant * All / C /OP
- Great Blue Heron*? All / C /OP
- Trumpeter Swan F,W,Sp / C /OP
- Canada Goose* All / C/ OP
- Mallard* All / A/ OP
- Northern Pintail F,W,Sp / C
- Blue-winged Teal S / U
- Cinnamon Teal*? Sp, S / U
- Gadwall* All / C
- American Widgeon Sp,W,F / A / OP
- Canvasback Duck Sp,W / U / OP
- Ringed-neck Duck* All / A / OP
- Lesser Scaup Sp,W / U
- Common Goldeneye F,W,Sp / C / OP
- Hooded Merganser* All / C / OP
- Common Merganser F,W,Sp / C / OP
- Red-breasted Merganser F,W,SP / C / OP
- Osprey* Sp,S,F / U / OP
- Bald Eagle* All / C / OP
- Sharp-shinned Hawk* All / C / OP
- Cooper’s Hawk* All / C / OP
- Night Hawk * S / OP
- Red-tailed Hawk* All / A / OP
- Golden Eagle* All / U / OP
- American Kestrel All / U
- Merlin All / U
- Peregrine Falcon* All / U / OP
- Rough-legged Hawk F,W / U
- Ring-necked Pheasant All / U
- American Coot* All / C / OP
- California Quail* All / A
- Black-bellied Plover F,W,Sp / U
- Semi-palmated Plover Sp,F / U
- Bufflehead F,W,SP / A / OP
- Killdeer* All / C
- Greater Yellowlegs F,W,Sp / C
- Black Turnstone F,W,Sp / C
- Sanderling F,W,Sp / U
- Western Sandpiper F,Sp / U
- Least Sandpiper F,Sp / U
- Dunlin F,W,Sp / C
- Short-billed Dowitcher Sp,F / U
- Long-billed Dowitcher Sp,F / U
- Common Snipe Sp,S,F / U / OP
- Bonapart’s Gull Sp,W.F / C
- Heerman’s Gull F / C
- Thayer’s Gull W / C
- Mew Gull Sp,S,F / A
- Glaucous-winged Gull* All / A
- Rock Dove* All / C
- Band-tailed Pigeon* All / C / OP
- Mourning Dove* Sp,S / U / OP
- Western Screech Owl* All / U
- Northern Saw-whet Owl* All / U
- Great Horned Owl* All / C / OP
- Rufous Hummingbird* Sp,S / A / OP
- Belted Kingfisher* All / C / OP
- Red-breasted Sapsucker W U
- Downy Woodpecker* All / C / OP
- Hairy Woodpecker* All / C / OP
- Northern Flicker* All / A / OP
- Pileated Woodpecker* All / C / OP
- Olive-sided Flycatcher* S / C
- Western Wood Peewee* S / U
- Pacific Slope Flycatcher* Sp,S / U
- Tree Swallow* Sp,S / A / OP
- Violet-green Swallow* Sp,S / A / OP
- Cliff Swallow Sp,S / C
- Barn Swallow Sp,S,F / A
- American Crow* All / A / OP
- Common Raven All / C / OP
- Chestnut-backed Chickadee* All / C/ OP
- Bushtit* All / C / OP
- Red-breasted Nuthatch* All / C / OP
- Brown Creeper* All / U
- Bewick’s Wren* All / C
- House Wren S / C
- Winter Wren All / C / OP
- Golden-crowned Kinglet* All / C
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet F,W,Sp / U
- Swainson’s Thrush* S / C
- Hermit Thrush Sp,W,F / U
- American Robin* All / A / OP
- Varied Thrush Sp,W,F / C / OP
- Cedar Waxwing* S,F / C / OP
- European Starling* All / A / OP
- Cassin’s Vireo S / U
- Northern Shrike F,W / U
- Hutton’s Vireo* All / U
- Warbling Vireo* S / C
- Orange-crowned Warbler* Sp,S / C
- Yellow Warbler* S / U
- Yellow-rumped Warbler* Sp,S,F / C
- Black-throated Gray Warbler* S / U
- Common Yellowthroat* S / C
- Wilson’s Warbler* S / U
- Western Tanager* S / U
- Black-headed Grosbeak* S / U / OP
- Spotted Towhee* All / A / OP
- Chipping Sparrow* Sp,S / C
- Savannah Sparrow* Sp,S / C
- Fox Sparrow F,S,Sp / U
- Song Sparrow* All / A
- Golden-crowned Sparrow F,W,Sp / C / OP
- White-crowned Sparrow* F,S,Sp / C OP
- Dark-eyed Junco* All / A / OP
- Brewer’s Blackbird All / C
- Red-winged Blackbird* All / C / OP
- Brown-headed Blackbird* Sp,S / C / OP
- Purple Finch* All / U / OP
- House Finch* All / C / OP
- Red Crossbill* All / U
- Pine Siskin* All / C / OP
- American Goldfinch* S,F / C / OP
- Evening Grosbeak* All / U / OP
- Wood Duck* C SP S / OP
- Steller Blue Jay * SP / S / F / OP