The areas where we walk these days are excellent places for birdwatching. There are several birdwatching guides provided by local visitors’ bureaus, and we have also picked up a bird book that is specific to Washington. As we walk we often find ourselves engaged in describing groups of birds. Some days, for example, we will see large gatherings of gulls on the mudflats when the tide is out. Other days, the groups of gulls will be floating rather than standing on the ground. A group of gulls can be called a colony, though they don’t seem to engage in much colonial behavior. Of course the name flotilla is a good description when a large group of gulls is on the water, but it doesn’t seem to be a good description of row upon row of gulls on the rooftops of large buildings. According to a website I found that lists the proper names for groups of birds, a gullery is a term that might be used. On garbage day we have a scavenging of gulls in the neighborhood that sometimes turns into a squabble, my favorite name for a group of gulls.

But the proper names for groups of ducks are different than those for gulls. Ducks might be a raft, a team, a paddling or a badling. I’m not sure where the term badling originates, but I know the spell checker on my computer keeps trying to change it to a balding, which you think might be a good name for a group of eagles, but is not accepted by the list I consulted. A group of eagles might be an aerie or a convocation. Also applicable to eagles is a term with which I’m familiar, a congregation.

I was taught that a group of crows is a murder, but they can also be called a congress, which doesn’t say much about crows, but perhaps says a bit about the US Congress. We’ll leave it to the experts in politics and government to determine whether a congress of crows is preferable to a parliament of owls. A group of crows can also be called a horde or a muster, and also my new favorite: a cauldron.

Geese gather into a gaggle, which can also be called a plump or a skein, which is also the name for a particular loosely coiled length of yarn. My mother was quite a knitter, so I learned the term applied to yarn, but it is appropriate for a V of flying geese or swans, which also can be called a wedge.

I guess a gross of grosbeaks makes sense, but I don’t think that you have to have 144 or 12 dozen to be a gross if you are talking about grosbeaks, whereas you do have to have the full twelve dozen for a gross of eggs.

I like the name scattering for a group of herons, because they don’t seem to like to gather in groups. We see lots of individuals here, but rarely see them in groups. However the season for chicks is coming and we know where there are several rookeries in the area, so we might get to see a scattering in the days to come, which means a gathering when talking about herons.

We see hummingbirds much more often here than we did in South Dakota. We don’t, however, see them in groups. I would like to see a group of hummingbirds, though. They have such fun names for their gatherings: charm, glittering, shimmer, tune, bouquet, and the best: hover. Finches can also gather into a charm.

A squadron of pelicans is a good description of the birds in flight, and I can imagine how the term pod came up for a group floating on the water. A scoop, however, seems to apply more to an individual pelican than a group, though group scoop offers excellent alliteration.

I understand calling a group of baby chicks a peep, but I guess the term can be used for adult birds as well. We use the term flock, which I think is appropriate for all kinds of birds, though turkeys can gather into a gobble, a gang, a posse or a rafter. I guess you’d have to have a big barn to accommodate a rafter of turkeys, not to be confused with turkey buzzards, who gather in a wake.

A mewing of catbirds, a mob of emus, and a flamboyance of flamingos all make sense when you think of it.

This weekend, however, I am trying to come up with the right name for a different kind of gathering. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are the days for the Northwest Birding Festival here in Blaine, otherwise known as Wings Over Water. There are field trips, presentations, pavilion exhibits, and a birding cruise. However, I don’t know what the proper name for a group of birdwatchers might be. Perhaps, like some groups of birds, it depends on where you find them. On a bus they might be a load, but on a boat they could be a cargo. At the pavilion they might be a mob. Out walking along the beach or up and down the spit, they might be a scope.

Looking at the website this morning it appears that most of the organized events such as the cruise and field trips are fully booked. That is good news for the local community as it is a sign that some of the tourist industry is returning after the pandemic. I’m guessing it is welcome news for restaurants and brew pubs, motels, and airbnbs. Restrictions for border crossings are easing and we are seeing a lot more British Columbia license plates parked on the streets than was the case just a few months ago. I doubt that birdwatching will attract many Canadians as the coast of BC is equally good for observing birds. The Canadians also won’t be coming to our county for the gas prices, either.

As for us, we’ll maintain our amateur status when it comes to birdwatching. We’ll continue to take our walks, perhaps avoiding some of the favorite spots during the festival. And we’ll keep a lookout for an asylum of loons, a tiding of magpies, or a cover of coots.