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Friends of Marymoor Park
Recent Bird Sightings
Report for June 19, 2025 Birding at Marymoor
We had a wonderful morning at Marymoor, with just about perfect conditions: mostly sunny, mostly windless, comfortable temperatures. Lots of singing, and lots and lots of evidence of nesting and nesting success. Our group was the largest in a long time, boosted by out-of-town visitors and people who got Juneteenth off from work.
Highlights:
- Spotted Sandpiper - Two below the weir, and we were able to see both
- Green Heron - Two adults flew south past the weir, landed, and then flew north again a few minutes later, calling both times
- Great Blue Heron - Many young have fledged and were attempting to hunt around the park. Many are still at the heronry
Speaking of baby birds, juveniles were noted for at least these species: Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Mallard, Anna's Hummingbird, Rufous Hummingbird, Great Blue Heron, Northern Flicker, American Crow,Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bushtit, European Starling, American Robin, Dark-eyed Junco, White-crowned Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Common Yellowthroat, and Black-headed Grosbeak. There may well have been juveniles of other species that I didn't notice as such. But we also had many occupied nests, plus signs of on-going nest building by several species, so breeding is very much in-progress and not wrapping up.
Oh, we also had a plethora of Eastern Cottontails.
Missing species included Hooded and Common Mergansers, Caspian Tern, Red-eyed Vireo, Cliff Swallow, Bullock's Oriole, and Lazuli Bunting. The merganser, vireo, and Cliff Swallow used to nest every year in the park, but no longer.
For the day, 55 species.
= Michael Hobbs |
Report for June 12, 2025 Birding at Marymoor
It was a cool, gray morning with little wind and few bird sightings. We were doing a lot of birding-by-ear, and were able to at least detect most of the expected birds. Nothing particularly unusual popped up.
Highlights:
- Canada Goose - Close-up views of adults and juveniles in the slough
- Wood Duck - Two clutches of ducklings
- Mallard - Several clutches of ducklings
- Spotted Sandpiper - One heard below the weir
- Green Heron - One flying north up the slough
- Merlin - One streaked east south of the Viewing Mound
- Pine Siskin - One in the edge of the Dog Meadow
- Yellow-rumped Warbler - One near gate to Clise Mansion
- Wilson's Warbler - One heard just south of the windmill
There were many baby birds of many species. We heard BUSHTITS in a tree, and managed to glimpse a couple. Moments later, a stream of fifteen Bushtits flew out of the bush. We had a similar experience with BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES, though that was more like seven birds. Baby JUNCOS and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS were seen. There were many, many ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRDS, at least some of which appeared to be likely juvies.
Mammal highlights included a DEER and a COYOTE, both just before 6:00 a.m.
Misses for today included Common Merganser, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Cliff Swallow, and Bullock's Oriole.
For the day, 57 species, with nothing new for the year (still at 119 for 2025 for the survey).
= Michael Hobbs |
Report for June 5, 2025 Birding at Marymoor
It was a very pleasant 53 degrees to start, and a very pleasant one-layer-less 65 by the end, under mostly sunny skies with no wind. Really ideal for walking around. It was pretty birdy, but we have entered into the main breeding season, so surprise species are uncommon.
Highlights:
- Canada Goose - Many juveniles, some nearly fully feathered. Flock stayed on the lake and in the slough today
- Common Merganser - One on the lake, our first in four weeks
- Virginia Rail - One called spontaneously from across the slough, our first in three weeks
- Red-tailed Hawk - One soaring slowly over the Rowing Club, our first in three weeks
- Chestnut-backed Chickadee - Adults feeding a juvenile
- Northern Rough-winged Swallow - Two at the Lake Platform
- Dark-eyed Junco - Juveniles seen
- White-crowned Sparrow - Adult with very young fledgling in the Pea Patch
- Orange-crowned Warbler - A couple heard singing pre-dawn, and one heard singing at the Rowing Club
- Western Tanager - Male at Rowing Club was seen eating a large, green caterpillar
- Lazuli Bunting - Male singing near Viewing Mound
The confusing situation continues at the Purple Martin gourds at the Lake Platform. Pre-dawn, Tree Swallows seemed to be owning them. Later, both species were at both gourds, going in and out, but Purple Martins dominating. Not sure which species has/have eggs in there... We're hoping to see juvenile heads sticking out soon. I also saw some indication that Purple Martins may again be nesting in the snags south of the Rowing Club. Martins in natural cavities is a treat.
Missing species today included Rock Pigeon Vaux's Swift, Glaucous-winged Gull, Green Heron, Steller's Jay, Violet-green Swallow, and Barn Swallow.
I did see a Coyote, and we had an American Beaver in the slough. Bunnies and squirrels as well, of course.
For the day, 55 species. Nothing new for the year for the 2nd-straight week.
= Michael Hobbs |
Report for May 29, 2025 Birding at Marymoor
We had a dark, rainy morning that cleared gradually. Birds were scarce and very hard to see, so much of our birding was only by ear. There were very few surprises today, with all but three species having been seen at least half the years previously for this week.
Highlights:
- Wood Duck - Two females with clutches of ducklings
- Eurasian Collared-Dove - One seen twice, only our 2nd sighting of the year
That's about it.
We do have an interesting situation going on with the Purple Martin gourds. Tree Swallows apparently started nesting in one of the gourds, and are still managing to hold on although the martins always chase them away. The swallows have to hope all the martins are in the air before they can go to their nest. I believe we've also seen a martin in that same gourd this spring. But every week we see the swallows bringing food or nest materials to the gourd, only to be turned away by the martins.
Misses today included Common Merganser, Rock Pigeon, Spotted Sandpiper, Green Heron, Red-tailed Hawk, Downy and Hairy Woodpecker (though we did have 3 woodpecker flybys we could not get to species), Violet-green Swallow, Cliff Swallow, and Western Tanager.
For the day, 54 species.
- Michael Hobbs |
Report for May 22, 2025 Birding at Marymoor
The day began slowly under a high overcast, but as the day warmed and the skies cleared, the birds came out. The Rowing Club had a burst of birds.
Highlights:
- Gull sp. - A flock of about a dozen gulls with black wingtips flew north in a perfect vee. Really unsure what they might have been
- Green Heron - One landed briefly in the Dog Meadow, for our 3rd sighting of the year
- Turkey Vulture - One over the Rowing Club - First of Year (FOY)
- Olive-sided Flycatcher - One in the large Oregon Ash at the Rowing Club (FOY)
- Willow Flycatcher - One at the SE corner of the East Meadow, singing (FOY)
- Evening Grosbeak - Several flyovers, and a few even briefly landed in a cottonwood. They almost NEVER land in the park
- Bullock's Oriole - Male at the Rowing Club (FOY)
Misses included Common Merganser, Rock Pigeon, Red-tailed Hawk, Barn Swallow, and Cliff Swallow
For the day, 64 species plus the mystery gulls. For the year, we're up to 114.
= Michael Hobbs |
Report for May 15, 2025 Birding at Marymoor
We had one really good sighting at Marymoor today, but otherwise it turned out to be a day with few viewing opportunities. The neotropical migrants are few, and they certainly weren't out strutting their stuff today. We heard several, but didn't see many at all. Our good bird was pretty good, though - Marymoor's 4th PECTORAL SANDPIPER was along the slough below the weir.
Highlights:
- Wood Duck - Five or six males, and a female with nine ducklings at the Rowing Club
- Vaux's Swift - One over the Pea Patch was the First of Year (FOY) for the survey. Normally, we'd have had them at least for at least the last three weeks
- Spotted Sandpiper - One below the weir, (FOY) for the survey
- PECTORAL SANDPIPER - as noted above and below
- Swainson's Thrush - Singing pre-dawn only, except for one singing at the Rowing Club. Whits were heard in the Dog Meadow
- Evening Grosbeak - About 6 flew over the Viewing Mound calling
- Western Meadowlark - One with a bunch of starlings on the grass soccer fields. We've had very few sightings of them this late in spring
- Lazuli Bunting - One heard, but not seen, in the Dog Meadow (FOY)
For warblers, we heard five species (Orange-crowned, Yellow, Yellow-rumped, and Wilson's, plus Common Yellowthroat), but only had sightings of a few Yellow-rumps. We had no flycatcher seen nor heard.
It was great seeing the PECTORAL SANDPIPER below the weir. We've had one previous spring sighting, a bird that was seen May 26-29, 2017. We've also had two fall sightings, September 14, 2005 and October 20, 2011. Today's bird was along the far shore of the weir, but gave us good long looks.
Weirdly, there are more species of shorebirds than species of warbler reported from Marymoor so far this year. Marymoor has never been a good location for shorebird viewing...
Misses today included Common Merganser (Matt may have glimpsed one), Band-tailed Pigeon, Green Heron, Western Wood-Pewee, Cliff Swallow, Cedar Waxwing, Bullock's Oriole, and Western Tanager. Additionally, I believe FOURTEEN species were heard-only today.
For the day, 61 species. For the year, we're at 113 species for the 2025 survey.
= Michael Hobbs |
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