Red-necked Phalarope (code 3), 84 at the waterfront (ID photos), 8-30-26. (There were reports earlier in the month but other birders provided no documentation of the species. Assuming these were all correct reports, there was an unusual abundance of these phalaropes either lingering or passing through Edmonds waters.)
Arctic Tern (code 5), 1 at waterfront (ID photos), 8-27-26.
Elegant Tern (code 5), 2 at waterfront (critical field marks described), 8-20-26.
Great Egret (code 4), 1 at Edmonds marsh (ID photos), 8-25-26.
Other birds of interest: Sightings of a Tufted Puffin (code 5) along the waterfront that began in late July continued into August. There were no reports of Turkey Vulture (code 3) sightings in Edmonds during August.
Declined for lack of any documentation: Black-bellied Plover (code 4); Lesser Yellowlegs (code 4); Peregrine Falcon (code 3). Regarding Peregrine Falcon, as it becomes more and more difficult to see in Edmonds, it pops up with greater frequency on Merlin’s Sound ID, particularly at Edmonds marsh where this bird was ticked. If there is no Peregrine in sight, when you play back the recording, it is almost always some sort of human or mechanical noise for which Merlin offers the falcon as a suggestion. It is necessary to have an excellent recording or actually see and describe the bird.
By way of explanation, we start additions to our year list based on birders letting me know about sightings. We then review eBird reports to see if we can add further species based on information included in checklists. With rarer birds, code 3 or rarer, we look for something more than a checklist tick. Those of us who use eBird know that we occasionally make data entry errors, so those have to be ruled out for our purposes. We then look for evidence such as a description of critical field marks, photos, or recordings. If none of those is included, we then decline to add the species at this time. This has no effect on an eBirder’s personal records.
As always, I appreciate it when birders get in touch with me to share sightings, photos, or recordings. It helps us build our collective year list. If you would like a copy of our 2026 Edmonds city checklist, please request it from this email address: checklistedmonds at gmail dot com. The 2026 checklist, with August sightings on it, is in the bird information box at the Olympic Beach Visitor Station at the base of the public pier.
