Report for November 26, 2008
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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 At the Rowing Club we had the 3 RIVER OTTERS again. For the day, 56 species. == Michael |
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Report for November 20, 2008
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After a truly amazing sunrise and about an hour of good birding, we got completely hammered by the weather. First were puffs of really warm wind - maybe 60-65 degrees, with sudden darkening of the skies. You could tell the weather was about to flip. At 8:30, it began to drizzle for a few minutes, and then the wind and the rain hit, and the temperature plummeted. It was not a real squall - it was not that sudden, nor were the winds that high, nor was it over quickly. After a couple of days of nice weather, this must have felt to the birds like something they could ride out. The birds simply disappeared. We continued walking around for two more hours, completing our loop in record time. There were NO BIRDS TO SEE or hear. I think we went an hour without a single bird in flight - no crow, no robin (okay, maybe a gull). We ended up skipping the loop around the mansion and went straight to the Rowing Club, which was duckless (except for Mallard), but seemed a bit more sheltered, perhaps, and did provide a few birds to end the morning with. Highlights: Brian Bell reported a GREAT HORNED OWL crossing West Lake Sammamish Parkway, I believe just south of SR-520. Matt and Scott had BARN OWLS near and in the windmill, and WILSON'S SNIPE calling all over the East Meadow at dawn. We had many RED-TAILED HAWK sightings - I'd seen four
(at least 3 different There were large flocks of gulls, some of which landed on the grass soccer fields. We had MEW, RING-BILLED, GLAUCOUS-WINGED, and WESTERN, but could not find California nor any rarity. Good looks at PINE SISKINS. And that was about it. For the morning, counting a single Rock Pigeon I saw on my way out, 40 species. == Michael |
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Report for November 13, 2008
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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 |
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Report for November 6, 2008
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It was rainy and windy and dark, though not as bad as it might have been. There were several hours where it wasn't raining much, and it wasn't too, too cold, and the wind and the rain tended to stay away from each other somewhat. So while my hat was soaked through, the rest of me did pretty well. The water level in the lake is up about 5 inches since last week. We were joined by a nice couple, the Gurka's from Massachusetts, who stuck it out through the whole loop, and managed to add to their Washington State lists. With them, I think we were about 10 people. The birds seemed to be hoping the weather would blow over and the day would revert to yesterday's perfection. If so, they were disappointed. But the result was a whole lot of not much, especially early on. Not much flying, not much chirping, not much hopping around, not much sitting on exposed perches. We had a grand total of 7 geese, all Canadas. We did manage 5 species of duck, but 3 of those were seen only in flight. No surprises all day. Highlights: Bufflehead
First of Fall, flyby The best highlight were the three RIVER OTTERS at the Rowing Club main pond, giving us outstanding looks. It appeared to be an adult and 2 young. We managed 51 species. == Michael |
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Report for October 30, 2008
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It seemed pretty quiet today. Early on there was fog, but it lifted early on, such that it didn't effect much except owling. It remained overcast all morning, though, and we had about 16 drops of rain as we passed the windmill. No wind, a touch cold, but fine. It just didn't feel very birdy. Highlights: Cackling Goose
Large flock (125?) almost pure Branta minima minima After the walk, I went to the 187th St viewpoint off East Lake Samm. Parkway, and had a couple of good birds: Common Loon
One quite close to the lake platform Despite the feeling that there wasn't that much to see, 59 species for the day. So maybe I'm just jaded... == Michael |
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![]() Great Blue Heron on the Pea Patch fence |
![]() Fungi in the Pea Patch |
Report for October 23, 2008
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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 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 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 |
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![]() 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 |
Report for October 16, 2008
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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 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 |
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![]() 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 |
Report for October 9, 2008
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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 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 We had a juvenile RED-TAILED HAWK land in a tree *right*
next to our cars to Non-raptor highlights: Western Grebe 2-3 on
lake 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 |
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![]() 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 |
Report for October 2, 2008
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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 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 |
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![]() 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 |
Report for September 25, 2008
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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 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 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 |
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![]() 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 |
Report for September 18, 2008
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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 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 A great group was with me for a great day, with 58 species seen or heard. == Michael |
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![]() 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 |
Report for September 12, 2008
I stopped by for about an hour this morning - another beautiful, sunny morning. At the Compost Piles I had a MOURNING DOVE. At Lot B, the grass and gravel parking lot north of the grass soccer fields, a juvenile HORNED LARK landed near me. Later, a HAIRY WOODPECKER flew overhead as I crossed the Dog Meadow. Twice I saw fly-over EVENING GROSBEAKS. It was a nice visit.
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John Tubb's photo of a Green Heron flying up the slough, 2008-09-11 |
Report for September 11, 2008
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Another really nice day at Marymoor. It was sunny, warm enough that we started with sweaters and the sweaters came off by mid-morning, but not so hot that it was uncomfortable. It was entirely windless, which proved useful, as any disturbed leaf meant a bird. We're on the cusp of the change of seasons, and we had quite a few "summer" birds, and a few "winter" arrivals as well. It was pretty birdy, though if there were rarities, we managed to (maybe just) miss them. Highlights: Pied-billed Grebe
First since April - a juvenile This was our first summer ever without PIED-BILLED GREBES at least attempting to nest. It's been strange not to see them, and nice to have a fall return. The LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS are only the second sighting ever for that species, and the first came earlier this year. We had no flycatchers, but we did have 5 species of warbler (Orange-crowned, Yellow-rumped, and Common Yellowthroat as well as the two noted above), and eight species of sparrow (the other five being Spotted Towhee, Savannah, Song, White-crowned, and Dark-eyed Junco). And actually, John Tubbs reported FOX SPARROW last Friday, so today's weren't exactly the First of Fall. The EVENING GROSBEAKS were obnoxious beasts. Matt and I kept calling out "Evening Grosbeaks, somewhere, flying towards us it sounds like" and then - nothing. Once, though, when I led 2/3s of the group one way and Matt led the rest the other way, Matt actually saw a few fly overhead. The AMERICAN PIPITS were almost as bad, but I did at least glimpse them a couple of times. Nothing satisfactory though. The HORNED LARK was worse. In the early morning, Matt thought he heard one or more, but couldn't verify. Later, as we were working the north end of the Dog Meadow, he swore he saw one amongst some Savannah Sparrows. He called for all of us to come see, but there was naught but Savannahs. Nor did anyone hear a Horned Lark's flight call if it departed. So he kind of threw up his hands, and we're not counting HOLA for the day. Even so, we managed 64 species. == Michael |
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Report for September 4, 2008
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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 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 |
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![]() 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 |
To all Friends of Marymoor Park I have posted a summary of our January meeting to www.marymoor.org I've also updated the Events listing with the latest items from Norah. == Michael Hobbs == Friends of Marymoor Park webmaster == http://www.marymoor.org == fomp@marymoor.org
Report for August 28, 2008
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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 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 |
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Report for July 17, 2008
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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 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 |
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![]() 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 |
Report for July 24, 2008
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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 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 |
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![]() "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 |
Report for August 7, 2008
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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 |
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![]() Anna's Hummingbird in the Community Gardens |
![]() Red-eared Slider turtles opposite the windmill |
Report for July 31, 2008
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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+) 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 |
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![]() 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 |
Report for August 21, 2008
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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 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 |
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Report for August 14, 2008
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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 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 |
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![]() Adult Red-tailed Hawk showing extensive wing and tail molt |
![]() Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk in Snag Row |
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Male Anna's Hummingbird in the Community Gardens |
Report for mid-week (August 26, 2008)
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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. |
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Report for June 26, 2008
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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. |
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![]() Four babies were seen in the nest (three beaks visible in this photo) |
![]() At this age the young look like fluffballs with huge beaks |
Report for June 5, 2008
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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: For the day, 62 species. Oh, and we saw a Long-tailed Weasel, and a Coyote cavorting near the park maintenance shop !?!? == Michael |
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![]() 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. |
Report for June 12, 2008
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I had to remind people that the weather was actually good, not bad. They were complaini |