Marymoor Birdlog 2008

Blog
2008

Report for November 26, 2008

What a difference a week makes! We had a glorious, bird-filled day today, in extreme contrast with last week. It was cold and foggy to start, but the fog was thin and there was no wind. The sun flirted with us for the first 3 hours before the fog finally burned off revealing pretty much cloudless blue skies. Never really got warm, though.

The morning started with a Cooper's Hawk on the fence just as we got to the weir - as we were watching it, a Merlin flew overhead and landed on one of its favorite perches. Those were two of the 6 species of raptor we had. We had a Sharpie in the Cottonwood Forest, a Bald Eagle, and many sightings of Red-tailed Hawk, including the very cooperative juvenile several times.

The bigger excitement was the BRANT goose with hundreds of CACKLING GEESE inside one of the baseball fields in the northeast corner of the park. What the heck was it doing there? Congrats to Mark and Lee Crawford for predicting Brant as one of the "next birds for Marymoor" (I thought they were nuts when they nominated that one).

Highlights:

BRANT                            New bird for the park
Green Heron                     Juvenile at the Rowing Club
Northern Harrier               North end of the East Meadow
MERLIN                          Two sightings, one early, one late
Anna's Hummingbird         First sighting since late October
NORTHERN SHRIKE    One east of East Meadow, one at Rowing Club
Townsend's Warbler         One northeast of the mansion
Fox Sparrow                    Numerous, in large groups - maybe 20 overall
"Slate-colored" Junco        Female at Compost Piles

At the Rowing Club we had the 3 RIVER OTTERS again.

For the day, 56 species.

== Michael

Cooper's Hawk below the weir in the early morning fog

Male Purple Finch eating Oregon Ash seeds

Fox Sparrow photo by Ollie Oliver

Dark-eyed Juncos - male "Oregon" at left, female "Slate-colored" on right.
Photo by Ollie Oliver

Close-up of the female "Slate-colored" Dark-eyed Junco

Brant goose with Cackling Geese

Brant goose with Cackling Geese. Photo by Ollie Oliver

Brant goose with Cackling Geese. Photo by Ollie Oliver

The photogenic juvenile Red-tailed Hawk near our cars once more

Ollie's photo of same

Female Hooded Merganser at the Rowing Club, with male Mallard

River Otter photo by Ollie Oliver, at the Rowing Club

Can you find the Wilson's Snipe? It's right there, plain as day. Really

Eastern Gray Squirrel near the mansion

What a difference a week makes! We had a glorious, bird-filled day today, in extreme contrast with last week. It was cold and foggy to start, but the fog was thin and there was no wind. The sun flirted with us for the first 3 hours before the fog finally burned off revealing pretty much cloudless blue skies. Never really got warm, though. The morning started with a Cooper's Hawk on the fence just as we got to the weir - as we were watching it, a Merlin flew overhead and landed on one of its favorite perches. Those were two of the 6 species of raptor we had. We had a Sharpie in the Cottonwood Forest, a Bald Eagle, and many sightings of Red-tailed Hawk, including the very cooperative juvenile several times. The bigger excitement was the BRANT goose with hundreds of CACKLING GEESE *inside* one of the baseball fields in the northeast corner of the park. What the heck was it doing there? Congrats to Mark and Lee Crawford for predicting Brant as one of the "next birds for Marymoor" (I thought they were nuts when they nominated that one). Highlights: BRANT New bird for the park Green Heron Juvenile at the Rowing Club Northern Harrier North end of the East Meadow MERLIN Two sightings, one early, one late Anna's Hummingbird First sighting since late October NORTHERN SHRIKE One east of East Meadow, one at Rowing Club Townsend's Warbler One northeast of the mansion Fox Sparrow Numerous, in large groups - maybe 20 overall "Slate-colored" Junco Female at Compost Piles At the Rowing Club we had the 3 RIVER OTTERS again. For the day, 56 species. == Michael	Cooper's Hawk below the weir in the early morning fog Male Purple Finch eating Oregon Ash seeds
Fox Sparrow photo by Ollie Oliver	Dark-eyed Juncos - male "Oregon" at left, female "Slate-colored" on right. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Close-up of the female "Slate-colored" Dark-eyed Junco	Brant goose with Cackling Geese
Brant goose with Cackling Geese. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Brant goose with Cackling Geese. Photo by Ollie Oliver
The photogenic juvenile Red-tailed Hawk near our cars once more	Ollie's photo of same
Female Hooded Merganser at the Rowing Club, with male Mallard	River Otter photo by Ollie Oliver, at the Rowing Club
Can you find the Wilson's Snipe? It's right there, plain as day. Really	Eastern Gray Squirrel near the mansion

I think the rain stopped about 6:00 a.m. (Matt and Scott, who were already birding at that hour might be able to be more precise on the timing). The morning was still cloudy to start, with a few breezy gusts, but it turned into a gorgeous morning. Birds were about, probably glad for a break in the weather. For some reason, we didn't manage that many really close sightings of most species, but things were definitely around. The water level was about 1' 3" higher than last week! (And about 4" higher than yesterday morning) This meant flooding near the start of the boardwalk, and generally muddy conditions elsewhere. Rubber boots were definitely called for. Matt and Scott had BARN OWLs, Matt with 2 at the windmill, and another flying over the road; Scott had one over the East Meadow. Scott also flushed a SHORT-EARED OWL. Those guys were out birding about the time I got up for the day... We had the usual 5 species of gulls for this time of year at Marymoor - mostly MEW GULLs, with about 10% GLAUCOUS-WINGED and "Olympic" Gulls, a few RING-BILLED GULLS, at least one CALIFORNIA GULL, and one pure-looking WESTERN GULL. All of these were swirling around the grass fields early on. With one group was a small shorebird, probably a DUNLIN. The biggest surprise was an amazingly late-season VAUX'S SWIFT that was generally above the weir area at about 8:00 a.m. This is fully 6 weeks later than we've ever had one before. Large flocks of CACKLING GEESE flew overhead before about 8:30. Some of those flocks had a few CANADA GEESE as well. In all, we had 400-500 Cacklers, though none on the ground. A NORTHERN SHRIKE (I think only one) gave us many good looks. It was ranging over a large area, from the model airplane field all the way over to the Pea Patch (though never seen north of the road, and usually within about 100 yards of it.) A very nice adult bird. This was our first look at a shrike at Marymoor this fall, although Tom Sanders photographed possibly the same one on the 4th - see the next issue of WOSNews. We had many accipiter sightings (at least 3-4 different birds and more sightings). I'm confident we had both Sharpie and Cooper's, but I was definitely not able to tell on several of the sightings Duck numbers continue to be low. We had a few MALLARD, about a dozen BUFFLEHEAD, a somewhat late WOOD DUCK, and several HOODED MERGANSER. John Tubbs reported some GREEN-WINGED TEAL, but that was it for ducks. For the day, 59 species (and no mammals, curiously enough). == Michael	A flock at least substantially comprising Cacking Geese though there may be a Canada Goose or two Northern Shrike near model airplane field
Lincoln's Sparrow at the Compost Piles	Lincoln's Sparrow watching a Song Sparrow zip past.
Northern Shrike, north of grass soccer fields 7-8-9	Bufflehead pair at Rowing Club
Flooded fungi	This mushroom, in the East Meadow, was about 2" tall

Aside from some early drizzle that cleared fairly quickly, it was a delightful day at Marymoor today. We were about a dozen people, and we had good birds intermittently all day. The rest of the time Matt and I filled with atrocious puns. What could be better. Highlights: SNOW GOOSE One flew overhead in a flock of Canadas Double-crested Cormorant First of Fall Barn Owl Scott had one at 6:30 a.m. SHORT-EARED OWL We had two in the East Meadow @ 7:25 Pileated Woodpecker I heard one near the mansion HORNED LARK 1 at Compost Piles, flew south American Pipit More than 1, grass fields, various times Townsend's Warbler Great looks in Ash Tree, Dog Meadow Western Meadowlark Three from the Compost Piles, 1 singing We were due to meet at 7:30. At 7:15, Matt, Brian, and I gave up on trying for Scott's Barn Owl. I decided to walk back along the grass trail on the east edge of the East Meadow. As I neared the north end, a SHORT-EARED OWL flushed from the tall grass and glided to the northeast. Maybe one or two minutes later, a second SEOW came flying in from the northwest carrying some kind of fairly large rodent. It flew right over Brian, Matt, and Scott, flew past me, and landed about where the first owl had been. Duck numbers were absurdly low. By the time we got to the Rowing Club, we'd seen a total of 5 MALLARDS. That's it. The lake was empty - not even a coot. From the Rowing Club dock, though, we found 3 GADWALL, and walking back past the ponds, Sharon spotted a male HOODED MERGANSER, thus tripling our species count for ducks. There were also 4-5 AMERICAN COOTS in the slough. South of the windmill, we watched a juvenile RED-TAILED HAWK drop out of a tree and catch some very small prey which it ate in 1 bite before returning to the tree. Brian and I went to the private cabana afterwards for a last scan of the lake. There had been Pied-billed Grebe out there, but we'd also seen what looked like Western Grebe, but we'd been unable to confirm. From the cabana, we saw several WEGR and about the same number of Horned Grebe For the day, 62 species. == Michael	Ollie Oliver's photo of an adult Bald Eagle Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk
Ollie's photo of an American Pipit	Ollie Oliver's photo of fall color
My photo of the Anna's Hummingbird at the Pea Patch	Ollie's photo of same
Fungus growing at the base of a tree northeast of the mansion	Gadwalls in the slough, female on left, male on right
Male Hooded Merganser at Rowing Club pond	Male Hooded Merganser leaving Rowing Club pond

The weather was better than we had any right to hope - basically no rain except for a bit of mist, no wind, fairly warm, overcast but a touch of blue. It was pretty birdy too, though not terribly diverse. Highlights: Cackling Goose 1 or 2 large flocks flying overhead Western Grebe About 8 at the lake Northern Harrier 1 hunting the Dog Meadow Mew Gull First of Fall, about 3 on grass fields American Pipit Heard 1 near the velodrome early Cedar Waxwing Many, many, many Townsend's Warbler 3 at 2 sites around mansion On my way out, I drove back through the park and found 5 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE just west of the velodrome - First of Fall The Compost Piles were more active than they've been recently, with quite a few sparrows and finches, which then attracted a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. The Community Gardens (Pea Patch) was even birdier, with all 8 common sparrow species represented, plus 3 species of finch and ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD. A RACCOON paced us on our walk out to the slough, working the far shore at our same slow trudge. We saw it about 4 times. For the day, 53 species of bird. == Michael	Same juvenile Red-tailed Hawk in the same tree in the parking lot to start this week, same as last week
Ollie's photo of an American Crow in the rain	Ollie Oliver's photo of a Paddletailed Darner
Ollie's photo of a Canada Goose	Four adult and one juvenile Greater White-fronted Goose
Ollie Oliver's photo of adult Greater White-fronted Geese	Ollie Oliver's photo of an adult Greater White-fronted Goose

A very interesting day. It was cool, and the fog was above us in the morning, clearing somewhat by mid-morning. Looking through past data, it's very clear that the peak of fall raptor migration is this week, the 2nd week of October. While we didn't have any falcons today (we've had falcons about half of the years during the 2nd week in October), we made up for it with other raptors: OSPREY One flying out over the lake Bald Eagle At least 2 adults Northern Harrier 1-2 (two disparate sightings) Sharp-shinned Hawk 2+ Cooper's Hawk 3+, MANY sightings Independently, Scott and Ed (up from Stellacomb) had sightings of single BARN OWL early. Conceivably the same bird. Then Scott and I walked down the path to the south end of the East Meadow, pre-sunrise. The last two weeks we'd seen fresh feathers from American Robin, and I was just about to alert Scott to the possibility that some raptor might snag a Robin for breakfast when that's exactly what happened. A large SHARP-SHINNED HAWK flew down from a tree and nailed an AMERICAN ROBIN right next to the path about 15 yards ahead of us. It mantled over the bird for a minute or so, then flew off with it to cover. A couple of minutes later, we saw a Sharpie nearby again, possibly the same bird. Maybe it lost its prey, maybe it cached its prey, or maybe it was a different Sharpie. We had a NORTHERN HARRIER about 7:25, flying north across the grass soccer fields. About 9:00, we had a Harrier land in the large snags east of the bend in the boardwalk. Could have been the same bird, but who knows. Just before the Harrier came in to the snag, there had been a large COOPER'S HAWK there, one of many Cooper's sightings. We had a juvenile RED-TAILED HAWK land in a tree right next to our cars to start the official walk. When we returned to our cars 4.5 hours later, the same hawk was on a low post nearby eating a vole, and giving us great looks. Non-raptor highlights: Western Grebe 2-3 on lake Hairy Woodpecker 1 on unusually small branches Winter Wren 1 just before lake platform Varied Thrush 1 flyover, either with others or with AMRO Orange-crowned Warbler 2 Yellow-rumped Warbler Ubiquitous BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK 1, VERY late, near the weir Pine Siskin With HOFI and AMGO at Compost Piles Back to accipiters, we had a broad mix of adults and immatures, with both small and large representatives of both species, making it quite clear that we weren't just seeing the same few over and over. Snag Row featured at least a daring juvenile COOPER'S HAWK that was mixing it up with crows and an adult male SHARP-SHINNED HAWK further west. In all, we had accipiter sightings about once every 20 minutes all morning. For the day, 57 species. == Michael	Scott Ramos' photo (left) and Ollie Olliver's photo (right) of the juvenile Red-tailed Hawk in the parking lot first thing in the morning Winter Wren
Northern Harrier	Ollie Oliver's photo of the Northern Harrier
Savannah Sparrow at the Compost Piles	Ollie Oliver's photo of a Savannah Sparrow on Himalayan Blackberry
Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk with prey	Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk with prey
Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk with prey	Ollie It's important to wash one's talons after eating

Seven of us noodled around the park today under mostly heavy overcast. We had periods of drizzle and a moment of light rain, but it could have been much worse. The birding was slow to start - we had a scant 30 species by the time we got to the lake platform, but things picked up there. The big highlight was a juvenile SORA that gave us great views from the lake platform. The bird was along the edge of the vegetation on the slough side of the base of the platform, and we had at least 10 minutes to view it. Thanks, Mark, for spotting this one. Other highlights: Northern Shoveler 1 at lake, First of Fall American Wigeon 1 at lake, First of Fall Western Grebe 1-2, new for 2008 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 adult Cooper's Hawk Adult and juvenile Barn Owl Ollie had one early over the East Meadow Hairy Woodpecker One in Oregon Ash from Dog Meadow Ruby-crowned Kinglet One near mansion - First of Fall Orange-crowned Warbler One near the mansion Yelow-rumped Warbler Many, and all over Wilson's Warbler One along the edge of the East Meadow So a 3 rail day (with heard-only Virginia Rail, and several Coots to go along with the Sora). Also, I almost never mention this, but Marymoor must be a major AMERICAN ROBIN roost site, since early in the morning, hundreds (400-1000) robins fly out. They tend to start leaving before First Crow in small numbers, but most wait another half hour or so. Many fly to the northwest and west. Another major highlight was a MINK across the slough from Dog Central. I also got glimpses of a RACCOON near the 2nd dog swim beach. For the day, 58 species of bird. == Michael	Adult Sharp-shinned Hawk American Wigeon female with two male Wood Ducks
A bunch of male Wood Ducks with an American Coot (center, facing left)	Juvenile Sora
Juvenile Sora	Ollie Oliver's photo of the juvenile Sora
Ollie Oliver's photo of a Golden-crowned Kinglet	Ollie Oliver's photo of a Western Meadowlark
Male Northern Flicker	Ollie Oliver's photo of the Northern Flicker
Ollie Oliver's photo of a mushroom	Ollie Oliver's photo of more fungi

Predawn through early morning was absolutely magical today, but by 9:30, it began to rain, and it was generally damp (though mostly not raining) and cloudy the rest of the morning. It didn't seem that birdy - maybe the birds were chased off by the abundance of accipiters and falcons. I got there early - early enough that the moon was a gorgeous sliver, that Orion was still clearly visible, and either Saturn or Jupiter was keeping Orion company. The sky was light in the east and there were no clouds overhead and no hint of fog. I met up with Scott, who told me I'd missed the Barn Owl by about 10 minutes, but we waited along the edge of the East Meadow anyway, hoping to see one again. And sure enough, Scott spotted two, and we watched them fly together around the north end of the East Meadow. Eventually one worked its way down the middle of the meadow towards us before disappearing to the southeast. A really nice start to the morning. And then there was the parade of raptors: Bald Eagle One at the lake Northern Harrier Male hunting the East Meadow Sharp-shinned Hawk 1-2 Cooper's Hawk More than a half-dozen sightings Red-tailed Hawk Only 2 Peregrine Falcon Dark bird flew down the slough American Kestrel Looping its way south over the East Meadow We had Cooper's Hawk chasing Cooper's Hawk, COHA chasing Northern Harrier. COHA chasing and almost catching Northern Flicker,... Other highlights: Wilson's Snipe Along the slough below the weir American Coot First of Fall - maybe 15 on the lake Vaux's Swift Maybe 20 swirling together over the slough American Robin Huge numbers today Orange-crowned Warbler Only 2 Yellow-rumped Warbler Large flock (20-30) in one tree early Townsend's Warbler One northeast of mansion Evening Grosbeak Flock of 12 at the south end of the Dog Meadow We also had two Raccoons, some deer, and a large jumping salmon. No more Black-headed Grosbeaks. Only 1 Swainson's Thrush. Only Barn Swallows left, but still fairly plentiful. Summer is definitely on its last legs. But no winter ducks today, and still no Ruby-crowned Kinglets or Winter Wrens, so we're not quite switched to winter either. For the day, 58 species. == Michael	From last week, Scott Ramos' photo of a Barn Owl, 2008-09-18 Dick Martin's photo of a Yelow-rumped Warbler, 2008-09-22
Yellow-rumped Warbler	Golden-crowned Sparrow
Male Northern Harrier	Two Raccoons across the slough from Dog Central
Male Purple Finch	Belted Kingfisher on the martin gourds

In the morning, it was cloudy, dark, humid, almost chilly, but not windy and it didn't really even mist much. The lighting conditions weren't great, so while we had several sightings of flying ducks, identifications were uncertain. We had at least 4 species besides Mallard, Wood Duck, and Hooded Merganser, but couldn't count anything for sure. Maybe Gadwall, Wigeon, Pintail, Shoveler, Green-winged Teal, and Common Merganser, but in the end, only the 3 on the list. A little after 7:00 a.m., while we were still getting out of our cars, a PARASITIC or LONG-TAILED JAEGER flew right over our heads, flying north. I got one of the less good looks amongst those who saw it. Here's what I saw: A gull-like bird with pointed central tail feathers. They were not very long, but Long-tailed Jaeger don't always have long tails. Length good for Parasitic. The wings seemed uniformly dark on the underside, and the body was quite light. I saw the bird only flying away, but the body seemed slender and did NOT appear to have a strong "collar" appearance on the upper chest, like a typical adult light-morph Parasitic. In the big Sibley, the jaeger image the seems closest to my memory is the small picture of the Long-tailed Jaeger "Adult nonbreeding". However, unless Matt Bartels or one of the others who got a better look can confirm an identification, I think it will have to go down as Jaeger sp. Still, WAY COOL, and totally unexpected. We've been having a contest to predict the next new Marymoor birds that will show up. About 15 of us predicted up to 15 species each that might appear next at Marymoor. At total of 84 species were nominated (including some that were WAY out there). Nobody chose a Jaeger though. Maybe sometime soon my jaw will return from the ground... Houston Flores had a SWAINSON'S HAWK (the second Marymoor sighting ever), at around 5:00 p.m. Other highlights: Virginia Rail One seen flying a short distance below the weir Killdeer Flock size up to 40 Wilson's Snipe One below the weir - First of Fall Mourning Dove One over East Meadow Barn Owl 4 simultaneously in 2 different spots early Great Horned Owl Scott heard predawn hoots from near of Dog Central Hairy Woodpecker Always a good day when we see one Swainson's Thrush Still a couple American Pipit One seen with Killdeers west of velodrome Orange-crowned Warbler 3+ Yellow-rumped Warbler MANY, mostly very drab Wilson's Warbler One at the Rowing Club 8 species of sparrows: Towhee, Savannah, Fox, Song, Lincoln's, White-crowned, Golden-crowned, Junco Black-headed Grosbeak 2+ still around House Sparrow First since July, only 2nd since April - Joy A great group was with me for a great day, with 58 species seen or heard. == Michael	Swainson's Hawk - photo by Austin Cockman Hairy Woodpecker
Ollie Oliver's photo of an American Pipit near the velodrome	Orange-crowned Warbler
Lincoln's Sparrow	Ollie Oliver's photo of an adult White-crowned Sparrow, with a juvenile behind
Ollie Oliver's photo of a Black-tailed Deer	Ollie Oliver's photo of a Long-tailed Vole

A dozen people joined me for a really fabulous day at Marymoor today. The weather was perfect and the birds were plentiful. We didn't score any great rarities, but there was plenty to see. This felt like the end of summer. I expect there will be a shift in species starting next week. We still had only breeding birds and migrants; no wintering birds yet, though they should start showing up any day now. Summer birds were still in evidence, with Osprey, Vaux's Swift, Western Wood-Pewee, Willow Flycatcher, Purple Martin, Violet-green Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Barn Swallow, Swainson's Thrush, Common Yellowthroat, and Black-headed Grosbeak all still present. Of the breeding birds of Marymoor, the only ones that seem to have left already are Rufous Hummingbird, Tree Swallow, and Brown-headed Cowbird. With some - Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Yellow Warbler - the breeders may have left, but migrating birds from further north are still passing through. This was pretty clearly the case with the Warbling Vireos, where we had a flock of about 10 at the south end of the Dog Meadow. Swainson's Thrushes might also have been migrants - they were found in clusters. There were also a few birds we only get in migration: Black-throated Gray Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Western Tanager. Other highlights: Bald Eagle Matt heard some early - rare this time of year VIRGINIA RAIL One seen, heard more, near the weir Barn Owl Scott had one at some ungodly early hour Hairy Woodpecker One seen well Purple Martin One over the mansion Evening Grosbeak Heard many times, glimpsed once by some There was one warbler, on the far side of the river, that had us thinking TENNESSEE WARBLER ??? - but the distance was too great and the viewing too short. It seemed really pale on the undertail coverts, the tail seemed short, and the bird seemed overall to be a different shape than the fairly common Orange-crowned Warblers. The color was much less yellowy than any OCWAs we saw. The family of RIVER OTTERS was once again seen in the weir. For the day, 58 species. == Michael
	Red-tailed Hawk in Snag Row at dawn Spider
Western Tanager	Barn Swallows on a sand pile, with a lone Cliff Swallow at the far left. Note the buffy rump on the Cliff Swallow
Ollie Oliver's photo of a Warbling Vireo	Ollie Oliver's photo of a Red-eyed Vireo
Ollie Oliver's photo of a male Black-throated Gray Warbler	Ollie Oliver's photo of a Hooded Merganser at the Rowing Club

We had a wonderful day at Marymoor, as the park was full of migrants. The weather was only so-so, but it didn't rain and most of the wind held off. The lighting was often difficult, however. In many places throughout the park we came across mixed flocks of warblers, chickadees, and flycatchers, with some finches and vireos, etc., added to the mix now and then. The total diversity wasn't that amazing, nor did we have any stupendously rare birds, but there was plenty to see! Highlights: California Gull Several out on the lake - First of Fall Cooper's Hawk One over grass soccer fields, chasing an... AMERICAN KESTREL One on grass soccer fields BLACK SWIFT At least 9 flying towards the lake Vaux's Swift Numbers well above normal Western Wood-Pewee Had as many as 4 in one tree Pacifc-slope Flycatcher Two (concievably one seen twice) Willow Flycatcher Many more seen than during nesting season Warbling Vireo 2-3 Purple Martin Two high over our cars, late morning Orange-crowned Warbler A dozen easily - probably many more than that Yellow Warbler At least 1 Black-throated Gray Warbler At least 3 Wilson's Warbler About half as many as OCWA Western Tanager Lots of calls, lots of glimpses Evening Grosbeak Flock of 20-25 The KESTREL was first spotted sitting on one of the soccer goal posts. It flew around a bit, in a hunting kind of way, and then took off when the COOPER'S HAWK came in full-bore. The two of them flew south to Snag Row, where the Kestrel disappeared, and the Coop landed. Yesterday afternoon, in a brief visit, I had two or three RED-EYED VIREOS. The family of RIVER OTTERS was again seen near the weir - an adult with two pups. Just below the weir there were lots of SALMON trying to navigate the narrow channel. Despite all that there was to see, we also had quite a few notable misses: Hooded Merganser, European Starling, and Spotted Towhee (for the 2nd straight week). For the day, 53 species. == Michael
	Ollie Oliver's photo of the River Otters Black-headed Grosbeak
Black Swift. Note how the head barely projects in front of the wings, while the tail projects far behind them	Brown Creeper
American Kestrel	Ollie's much better photo of the Kestrel
American Kestrel in flight	American Kestrel in flight
Ollie's photo of a Savannah Sparrow, 2008-08-27	Ollie's photo of a Painted Turtle at the Rowing Club, 2008-08-27

Tweets - it was chilly, a touch breezy, and more overcast than I was expecting this morning. We're in the doldrums - nothing unusual expected or found - but the park still has it's attractions. We had a really good day. The first highlight were three RIVER OTTERS actively fishing (or crawfishing perhaps) in the slough above the weir. They gave a great show. We had a STELLER'S JAY already going after the very green Hazelnuts One CASPIAN TERN was over the lake Nice looks at a RED-EYED VIREO north of the east end of the boardwalk And then there were the babies: Wood Duck 3 clutches of ducklings Green Heron 5 fledged young at Rowing Club with adult Osprey 2 babies on nest Cooper's Hawk 3 babies and adult Red-tailed Hawk Watched a very awkward landing! Warbling Vireo Baby being fed at Rowing Club American Crow Lots of begging, and parents feeding young Tree Swallow Babies audible within left gourd at lake Violet-green Swallow Adult feeding baby near windmill Barn Swallow Adults feeding young at lake Black-capped Chickadee Adult feeding young along slough Cedar Waxwing Nest with 2 young at S. end of dog area White-crowed Sparrow Two still in juvenal plumage at Compost Piles Brown.-headed Cowbird Fed by Yellow Warbler and Warbling Vireo House Finch 100+ birds, many looking young American Goldfinch Male feeding baby along slough The COOPER'S HAWK nest lay on the ground under the tree it was in. The three babies were in the trees nearby, two together and a third a little apart. An adult was seen leaving the scene. The five fledged GREEN HERONS were at the main pond at the Rowing Club, flying (and especially landing) awkwardly. One was thinking about trying to fish, but was working from a branch too high above the water. The rest seemed willing to wait for Mom or Dad to deliver. An adult did arrive and was mobbed. == Michael	River Otters just above the weir
All three River Otter. Notice rounded pointy tail of the one on the left.	Two Cedar Waxwings on the nest at the south end of the Dog Meadow
Steller's Jay going after unripe hazelnuts	Blurry shot, but you can see the hazelnut
White-crowned Sparrow in juvenal plumage at the Compost Piles	Ollie Oliver's photo of an adult American Crow feeding a youngster
The remains of the Cooper's Hawk nest on the ground	Two of the three young Cooper's Hawks northeast of the mansion
Juvenile Violet-green Swallow, later fed by an adult	Three of the five fledged Green Herons at the Rowing Club
Sunny Walter's better shot of one of the otters	And Sunny caught a few of the multitude of House Finch on the path

There were 17 of us today on a rather chilly day for July. It did eventually warm up, but people were digging gloves out of pockets, wishing for vests, and generally feeling a bit out of season. The birds more than made up for it though. The big highlight was a new park bird - LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER - at the retaining pond near the "event pad" (the paved 5-acres that Cirque du Soleil uses). We had about 5 Master Birders and a couple of other people over there early. It was still a struggle to identify. The other big highlight was from last Saturday, when Megan Lyden found a pair of BARRED OWLS at the Rowing Club. Matt had them (or at least one of them) there again early this morning (before 5am). Both of those are new for the Marymoor list, which now stands at 205. We also had our first SPOTTED SANDPIPER of 2008, which flew down to the weir. In the cattails just upstream of the weir, Mark spotted a VIRGINIA RAIL. We seldom get to see them. Juvenile GREEN HERONS - probably 4 or more - were all along the slough and out at the lake. We had a four warbler day, with a couple of YELLOW WARBLER, a male WILSON'S WARBLER, a juvenile YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, and many (mostly juvenile) COMMON YELLOWTHROAT. We had a COOPER'S HAWK, probably the female from the nest, in the Doug Firs northeast of the mansion. It was about 10 feet down a dying tree, and was being mobbed by CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES, and GOLDEN-CROWENED KINGLETS. Between the mansion and the park office we had the three juvenile Coops hanging out together. Great looks. LOTS of baby birds all around, and such "heartwarming" sights as a WARBLING VIREO feeding a baby BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD. Great looks, but... Various of the 17 of us reported great mammal sightings too. Matt and Scott had a howling COYOTE in the East Meadow early. Later we found the entrails of a rabbit there; probably left by the coyote. Brian had RIVER OTTER at the entrance bridge. Several people spotted LONG-TAILED WEASEL and EASTERN COTTONTAIL. The only live mammal I managed to see was EASTERN GRAY SQUIRREL :( For the day, 61 species of bird. == Michael	Ollie Oliver's photo of one of two Barred Owls at the Rowing Club on Saturday, July 19th. Matt was able to see one (and maybe glimpse another) early today at the parking lot area of the Rowing Club.
Long-billed Dowitcher at the storm water retention pond near the Velodrome	The bird appears to be an adult just beginning to molt into non-breeding plumage
One of the many sightings of juvenile Green Heron along the slough	Simultaneous front and back views of Savannah Sparrow in the East Meadow
"Oregon" Dark-eyed Junco at the Community Gardens	American Robin atop an umbrella at the Community Gardens
Anna's Hummingbird at the Community Gardens	The American Chestnut tree, just inside the gate at the mansion, is in bloom!
One of the three juvenile Cooper's Hawks near the mansion	All three of the young Cooper's Hawks in one tree
Ollie Oliver's photo of a Spotted Sandpiper at the weir.	Ollie Oliver's photo of a Warbling Vireo feeding a juvenile Brown-headed Cowbird
Ollie Oliver's photo of American Goldfinches	Ollie Oliver's photo of a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk

A dozen of us had a nice stroll today. It was sunny, warm (but not too hot), and the early morning wind died down quickly. The only thing missing were the birds. Oh, there were some. Just not a lot, and we didn't get great looks all the time either. Still, there were a few things to look at: Matt and Scott enjoyed a BARN OWL early over the East Meadow. Early, BTW, translates to shortly after 5:00 a.m. I don't think I'd even made it to the shower yet. CEDAR WAXWINGS were everywhere, with several juveniles noted. Sharon reported possible nest building, though. A WILLOW FLYCATCHER chased one of those waxwings off a birch branch, then sat there singing. Fitsbew started to sound more like F You... Actually, everything was chasing everything. ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRDS were very apparent all over the park, often chasing one another, and often chasing off other birds. We had pretty good looks (at least some of us did) at a RED-EYED VIREO, as well as WARBLING VIREO, along the southwest edge of the Dog Meadow. We also had a female WESTERN TANAGER and a very yellow ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, looking entirely different from the gray-headed ones last week. At the lake, an OSPREY with a fish was pursued by 3 BALD EAGLES. Near the mansion, we had a juvenile COOPER'S HAWK that appeared to be thinking about going after a BROWN CREEPER. And at the Rowing Club, we had a slinking GREEN HERON, a juvenile, on the far shore of the pond. Also, an adult male BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, so they're not all gone yet. For the day, 53 species. == Michael	We don't see these as much now as in '90's
	Took us a while to decide this was a juvenile White-crowned Sparrow
A few of the multitude of House Finches	Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk
Marsh Wren in the East Meadow	Marsh Wren in the East Meadow
Anna's Hummingbird in the Community Gardens	Red-eared Slider turtles opposite the windmill

Only seven of us this morning, on a fine morning. A bit chilly to start, but somewhat sunny and warming. Fall migration has begun, so there was some excitement there. Also, still lots of babies, so the awwww factor was pretty high. The Blue Angels passed over the park (at least 4 of them in formation), so we had some roaring speed as well. Highlights: We again had three RIVER OTTERS just above the weir. Other mammals included a FAWN at the Rowing Club and two MUSKRATS from the Rowing Club dock. High flybys included a CASPIAN TERN and the first TURKEY VULTURE we've ever had in the June-July-August period. Between Dog Central and the south end of the dog area we had a great mixed flock of birds, which included: Yellow Warbler (5+) Wilson's Warbler (2-3) Orange-crowned Warbler (3+) Black-throated Gray Warbler (1) Warbling Vireo (2) Red-eyed Vireo (2+) Black-headed Grosbeak Purple Finch Swainson's Thrush Possible Pacific-slope Flycatcher ...and at least a half-dozen other species The Big Cottonwood Forest featured a male WESTERN TANAGER and three HAIRY WOODPECKERS The best sighting was probably the three baby WESTERN WOOD-PEWEES nestled side-by-side on a branch among the Oregon Ash trees near the east end of the boardwalk. Parent(s) flew down to feed them (very quickly) every minute or so. Awwww. This Saturday, Eastside Audubon (formerly ELWAS) is holding a Grand Opening of the Marymoor BirdLoop, from 10-2. They have adopted the old Interpretive Trail and have installed a couple of informational kiosks (one of which is finished), and they will be putting in some new interpretive signs. They've created two new trails, and will be extending the boardwalk so we won't be as hampered by high water as in the past. For more information, see www.eastsideaudubon.org For the day, 60 species of bird, 5 species of mammal (plus one unidentified furry scurrier), 2 non-native turtles, bullfrog, and Garter Snake. == Michael	One of three River Otters above the weir
	One of three River Otters above the weir
Rufous Hummingbird on the dead branches of a Red Elderberry...	...and Away!
Male Western Tanager in the Big Cottonwood Forest	Eclipse-plumage male Mallard
Three baby Western Wood-Pewees sitting calmly and quietly together...	...until Mom (or Dad) arrives with food. Then, watch out!
The Blue Angels are in town for Sea Fair..	...and gave us a buzz during their Thursday practice
Black-tailed Deer fawn at the Rowing Club	Muskrat from the Rowing Club dock, one of two there

Tweets - another gorgeous day. The early morning ground fog burned off quickly. It got a bit too hot, but not outrageous. It was pretty birdy, though at times the birds seemed to be taking an incredible delight in tantalizing us in a very cussed way. We ended up with a good species count, including 5 species of woodpecker, but 3 of those woodpeckers were heard-only :( Highlights: NORTHERN HARRIER Flyby Virginia Rail Heard from the lake platform Spotted Sandpiper Flying fairly high up the slough Red-breasted Sapsucker Immature flew past us early on Warbling Vireo Adult feeding juvie cowbird Red-eyed Vireo LOTS of singing at the south end of the park Purple Martin One HIGH over mansion area Northern Rough-winged Swallow One over East Meadow Bushtits Bringing food to a nest at Dog Central - late? Orange-crowned Warbler Flock of 6+ at south end of Dog Meadow Yellow Warbler Male singing, several others seen Wilson's Warbler 1-2 at the south end of the Dog Meadow Evening Grosbeak Heard and glimpsed Had a juvenile COOPER'S HAWK who thought chasing after crows was the way to get ahead. Good luck! Had what appeared to be a LONG-TAILED WEASEL swimming across the slough ??? For the day, 64 species. == Michael	Female and male American Goldfinch at the Community Gardens
	Belted Kingfisher at the Rowing Club
Belted Kingfisher and Hooded Merganser at the Rowing Club	Ollie Oliver's photo of a molting Dark-eyed Junco
Ollie Oliver's photo of the Belted Kingfisher	Ollie's photos of a Western Wood-Pewee

Another gorgeous day. The early morning ground fog burned off quickly. It got a bit too hot, but not outrageous. It was pretty birdy, though at times the birds seemed to be taking an incredible delight in tantalizing us in a very cussed way. We ended up with a good species count, including 5 species of woodpecker, but 3 of those woodpeckers were heard-only :( Highlights: NORTHERN HARRIER Flyby Virginia Rail Heard from the lake platform Spotted Sandpiper Flying fairly high up the slough Red-breasted Sapsucker Immature flew past us early on Warbling Vireo Adult feeding juvenile cowbird Red-eyed Vireo LOTS of singing at the south end of the park Purple Martin One HIGH over mansion area Northern Rough-winged Swallow One over East Meadow Bushtits Bringing food to a nest at Dog Central - late? Orange-crowned Warbler Flock of 6+ at south end of Dog Meadow Yellow Warbler Male singing, several others seen Wilson's Warbler 1-2 at the south end of the Dog Meadow Evening Grosbeak Heard and glimpsed Had a juvenile COOPER'S HAWK who thought chasing after crows was the way to get ahead. Good luck! Had what appeared to be a LONG-TAILED WEASEL swimming across the slough ??? For the day, 64 species. == Michael	Osprey carrying a fish back to the nest at dawn
	Female Downy Woodpecker working the underside of a branch
One of a flock of Orange-crowned Warblers at the south end of the Dog Meadow	Juvenile(?) Orange-crowned Warbler
Another Orange-crowned Warbler	Black-capped Chickadee in a European Hawthorn
Adult Red-tailed Hawk showing extensive wing and tail molt	Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk in Snag Row
	Male Anna's Hummingbird in the Community Gardens

On August 26th, John Tubbs found an Eastern Kingbird near the new bird kiosk next to the Compost Piles. Ollie Oliver managed to photograph it that evening. Ollie also sent other photos from during the week, so I'm posting them here too. All photos by Ollie Oliver.
	Common Yellowthroat, 2008-08-24
Eastern Kingbird, 2008-08-26	Eastern Kingbird, 2008-08-26
Northern Harrier, 2008-08-24	Northern Harrier, 2008-08-24
Red-eyed Vireo (left) and Willow Flycatcher, 2008-08-24	Hooded Merganser, 2008-08-27
Osprey, 2008-08-24	Bald Eagle and Osprey, 2008-08-24
Crows in Snag Row, 2008-08-27	Northern Flicker, 2008-08-27

Another cold, cloudy, breezy, morning. I was hoping for weather like yesterday's, but we got more Junuary. Everybody was wearing sweaters AND coats, and there was a lot of wishing for gloves and talk of hot chocolate. This isn't the most exciting June we've ever had, though the usual breeding birds are in evidence (with the notable exception of Pied-billed Grebe, completely uncharacteristically absent since April). The biggest excitement today was an extremely close encounter with 2 LONG-TAILED WEASELS at Dog Central that came up to with 10 feet of us. They were busy chasing each other around, paid us no mind at all, and forgot to worry about dogs until almost too late. Bird highlights: Green Heron Rowing Club nest has 4 babies Cooper's Hawk Female on nest, male harassed by crows Caspian Tern One on lake Band-tailed Pigeon Large flock Barn Owl Matt had 2-3 early Belted Kingfisher 3-5, including some young we think Downy Woodpecker Male feeding fledgling Yellow.-rumped Warbler 2 northeast of mansion LAZULI BUNTING Male singing north of fields 7-8-9 For the day, 58 species.	Band-tailed Pigeon flock near 2nd dog swim beach
Long-tailed Weasel at Dog Central bench	The two weasels moving fast...
Female (left) and male Brown-headed Cowbird at the Community Gardens	Our day's only Canada Goose with a Great Blue Heron near the windmill
We think this was a juvenile creeper. For a while it was creeping sideways, and even down. It seemed a bit downy as well. Seen south of the mansion.	Adult (upper left) Green Heron standing guard over the nest (lower middle) at the Rowing Club
Four babies were seen in the nest (three beaks visible in this photo)	At this age the young look like fluffballs with huge beaks

I left for the WOS Conference right after Marymoor, and so never did one of my regular write-ups. Now I can't really remember things like the weather very well. It was overcast, I remember that. Highlights: Wood Duck At least 3 clutches of ducklings Cooper's Hawk Male seen heading back towards nest with food Black Swift About 20 seen over the lake area Orange-crowned Warbler Rowing Club Townsend's Warbler Male just south of Dog Area, singing. Unusual location. Western Tanager As expected this time of year, male singing, female For the day, 62 species. Oh, and we saw a Long-tailed Weasel, and a Coyote cavorting near the park maintenance shop !?!? == Michael	Very blurry photo of the Townsend's Warbler
Willow Flycatcher and a male Rufous Hummingbird sharing a bush in the Dog Meadow. Photo by Ollie Oliver.	Ollie Oliver's photo of a male Common Yellowthroat
Coyote near the maintenance barn and the mansion	Ollie's photo of same
Tree Swallow nesting near windmill	This Brown Pelican spent a day on a dock along the northwest shore of Lake Sammamish, on a spot visible from the Marymoor lake platform. Ollie got a little closer to get this photo, however. 2008-06-01.