We had thunder and lightning all morning today, a first for my weekly walks.  It started raining within minutes of our 5:30 start time, and seldom let up over the next 4.5 hours.  At times the rain was coming down very hard, but the truly torrential rain held off until I was driving home.  We started out with nine people, but there was attrition along the way.  Only Ollie and Sharon lasted through the Rowing Club, earning themselves the honorary appellation of Intrepid.  I must admit, it wasn't a very birdy morning. Highlights: Wood Duck                                        Many mammas with babies Green Heron                                        Babies huddled together on nest Ring-billed Gull                                    First since March - at least 3 adults Red-eyed Vireo                                   Briefly visible among the mosquitoes Purple Martin                                       Pair on gourds, beak sticking out of hole Northern. Rough-winged Swallow        One at the lake Orange-crowned Warbler                    One heard south of East Meadow Common Yellowthroat                         Male with baby Brown-headed Cowbird Song Sparrow                                     With baby Brown-headed Cowbird We also had either a Beaver or a Nutria; the latter would be an unwelcome newcomer. For the day, 51 species, but seven of those were heard-only. == Michael	We were not able to take photos on the 3rd because of the weather.  These photos are from earlier in the week or last week. Ollie Oliver's photo of a Hooded Merganser at the Rowing Club, 2008-06-28
Composite of Ollie's photos of an American Crow harassing a Cooper's Hawk,
Tom Mansfield's photo of the baby Green Herons on the nest, 2008-06-29	Ollie Oliver's photo from 2008-07-28

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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. 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

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The morning started out as a typical Junuary day - cool, overcast, a bit of drizzle, but it later warmed up to almost warm and summery.  I ended up almost wishing I'd taken off my sweatshirt, but not quite.  The mosquitoes weren't as bad as last week. Best sighting of the day was Matt Bartels, who has rearranged his work schedule to allow some Thursdays off. Other highlights: COMMON LOON                 Well out on lake - failed breeder? Cooper's Hawk                        Female on nest PEREGRINE FALCON          Cruised over Snag Row Red-breasted Sapsucker           LOTS of sightings Pileated Woodpecker               Heard drumming and calling Red-eyed Vireo                        Got to see on, s. end of Dog Area Purple Martin                            TWO pairs at the gourds Chestnut-backed Chickadee     Adult feeding fledged young Swainson's Thrush                     Lots of singing, several views Cedar Waxwing                        Ubiquitous.  Some pair feeding. For the day, 57 species. == Michael Oh - and check out the cool photos of a female Common Merganser with chicks	Cedar Waxwing eating the ripest of the Red Elderberry berries
Female Purple Martin flying around the Compost Piles	Male Purple Martin flying around the Compost Piles
	Ollie Oliver's photo of a Savannah Sparrow

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I had to remind people that the weather was actually good, not bad.  They were complaining about cold.  In Garfield County on Tuesday, I had cold.  24 degrees, howling wind, and snow. Yeah, yeah, I was at 5500 ft., but still...  Eastern WA was windy for six of the seven days I was over there.  Today at Marymoor was blessedly windless, and I think the temperature got to about 60 at one point.  Sure it wasn't a nice sunny day, but picky picky picky... Mammals highlighted the day.  First, we had a LONG-TAILED WEASEL going after a bunny (until it saw us) just south of the Dog Area.  Then, at the lake platform, we watched a RACCOON swim out about 100 yards underneath the new dock (for the new development).  It was swimming directly under the jetty portion, between the pylons, all the way to the floating platform where it swam around and dove for a minute before swimming all the way back. Bizarre.  Then, along the southeast portion of the East Meadow there were two more LONG-TAILED WEASELS, one of which had spots or brindling on its back - this year's young?  Along the main road just north of the compost piles, someone spotted a TOWNSEND'S MOLE running along the base of the curb, unable to get up and away.  Alexia and Georgia rushed over to rescue it.When they got it onto the grass, it immediately burrowed underground, causing worms to flee in wormy terror.  Finally, at the Rowing Club, we had yet a fourth LTWE.  Lots of Eastern Cottontails and Eastern Gray Squirrels rounded out the mammal list.  There were Red-eared Slider and Painted Turtles at the Rowing Club, and hoards of nasty, biting MOSQUITOES, especially south of the Dog Area on both approaches to the boardwalk. Now for birds: Black Swift                        20+ over the park all morning WESTERN KINGBIRD   Flycatching along Snag Row Warbling Vireo                  *Vireo invisibilis* singing grandly Red-eyed Vireo                 Mosquitos kept us from even thinking of trying to see it. Swainson's Thrush             Singing AND giving us good looks Lazuli Bunting                    Singing from north of fields 7-8-9 Bullock's Oriole                 1-2 first-year males being pretty obvious Nesting highlights: Canada Goose                    Goslings almost fully feathered Wood Duck                        Several females w/ducklings of a range of sizes Mallard                                Several females with fairly large young Green Heron                       On nest at Rowing Club Red-brested Sapsucker       Nest hole with young in the Cottonwood Forest Western Wood-Pewee        Building nest just south of Dog Area Tree Swallow                      Nesting in natural cavity as well as many boxes Black-capped Chickadee    Feeding fledged young at the Rowing Club Bushtit                                 Nest found Cedar Waxwing                  Found a nest being built I'm sure I'm forgetting a few. Lots of spotted young robins already on their own.  No activity seen at either the Cooper's Hawk nest or the Bald Eagle nest.  I didn't really check the Red-tailed Hawk or Osprey nests, though the latter is likely still active. We also found a dead VAUX'S SWIFT that appeared to have tried to roost about one foot off the ground, nestled into a deep groove in the bark of a large Douglas Fir.  It looked like it may have gone to sleep and expired from exposure/starvation perhaps.  No sign of trauma. For the day, 61 species. == Michael	Ollie Oliver's photo of a Western Wood-Pewee on a nest south of the Dog Area Ollie's photo of a Marsh Wren near the lake Ollie's photo of a Black Swift
Moth at the Rowing Club	Everybody was tired by the end of the morning
Wood Duck family across from the Rowing Club dock	Green Heron on the nest

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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: 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.

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