Friends of Marymoor Park

Bird Sightings Week 28
July 9-15*

Rarities for Week 28:

Sora	13-Jul-05	Just above weir. Bird remained 13-Jul through 03-Aug
Least Sandpiper`	09-Jul-15	At weir
Least Sandpiper	15-Jul-99	At weir
Olive-sided Flycatcher	12-Jul-06	Reported by Ollie Oliver
Least Flycatcher	15-Jul-10	On territory near Dog Central, 17-Jun through 15-Jul
Eastern Kingbird	13-Jul-12	Reported by Evan Houston
Bank Swallow	13-Jul-17	From Lake Platform
Yellow-breasted Chat	12-Jul-12
...Yellow-breasted Chat	14-Jul-12	Reported by John Puschak
Bobcat	12-Jul-17	fide Kazuto Shibata, ph.

Report for July 13, 2023 Birding at Marymoor

Michael is still in Ecuador, so Karen Snepp and I were him temporarily today. It was a wonderful day – 54-70 F, clear and sunny and no wind. The birds were active, still seeing young ones and some singing.

Highlights:

Rock Pigeon
Band-tailed Pigeon
Virginia Rail heard
Spotted Sandpiper heard
Caspian Tern
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo (first in quite a while)
Swainson’s Thrush - many

Misses: Steller’s Jay and Bald Eagle

56 species

Good Birding

Brian H. Bell
Woodinville

Report for July 14, 2022 Birding at Marymoor

A gorgeous day, but it's mid-July when the bird list is pretty much fixed. We already know what we're going to see and we know surprises are hard to come by. Birds were not as visible today as last week, and nesting season is visibly winding down.

Highlights:

Wood Duck - A new clutch of 6 tiny ducklings
Black Swift - Once again, 3 Blacks under clear skies. Still unexpected given the wonderful weather
Vaux'x Swift - Only 1
Rufous Hummingbird - Two or three. These are clearing out
Caspian Tern - Maybe 7 total. 5th week in a row, which is unusual for Marymoor
Great Blue Heron - Very few nests still active. Total numbers seen WAY down
Cooper's Hawk - One flew down Snag Row
MERLIN - One eating a bird just south of Dog Central - First since March
Bullock's Oriole - Still 2-3, including an adult male

The other highlight today was a RACCOON just below the weir, our first since 2019

Misses today included Hooded Merganser, Pied-billed Grebe, Rock Pigeon, Green Heron, Cliff Swallow, and Golden-crowned Kinglet. With the exception of the Kinglet, these have all been notably scarce this year (with Green Heron yet to be recorded).

For the day, 56 species.

= Michael Hobbs

Report for July 12, 2018 Birding at Marymoor

A gorgeous summer day, with clear skies and temps that reached 75 degrees before 11 a.m. Maybe too nice for really good birding, but still a good day. Our species list was VERY similar to last week’s – 64 species each of the two days, with 60 species in common between them, which is what I’d expect this time of year. Highlights: Canada Goose – at least 5; not seen last week Wood Duck – each week there seems to be a new clutch of ducklings Killdeer – adult with three tiny babies below weir Glaucous-winged Gull – 2 that looked to be hybrids – not seen last week Green Heron – juvenile below weir Pileated Woodpecker – at least 2; adult foraging and feeding a young bird near mansion Orange-crowned Warbler – at least one, silent Yellow-warbler – only two heard singing (one glimpsed) BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER – two males in cottonwoods near Dog Central – New for 2018 Western Tanager – one heard, one glimpsed – not seen last week Great looks at birds were scarcer than last week; the PILEATED WOODPECKERS were best of show, as we watched the two birds forage all around the mansion area, with them mostly staying low to the ground. Critters included American Beaver and Muskrat. (Forgot to mention that, last week, Matt had pre-dawn bats to go along with bunnies, beaver, bucks, and bullfrogs). Misses today included Pied-billed Grebe, Rock Pigeon, Spotted Sandpiper (seen last week), and Warbling Vireo (seen last week). The other two species seen last week but not this week were Peregrine Falcon and Red-breasted Sapsucker. Tree Swallow numbers were down last week, and way down this week; they are likely to depart soon for the year. For the day, 64 species. Adding Black-throated Gray Warbler, the 2018 Marymoor Park list is up to 142 species. == Michael Hobbs	American Crows clean up after movie night. Photo by Bob Asanoma Crows and Bald Eagle in the sun. Photo by Bob Asanoma
The adult Bald Eagle posed very nicely. Photo by Jordan Roderick	Long-billed Curlew. Photo by Kaylin Ingalls
Yes, there are babies under the adult Killdeer. Photo by Bob Asanoma	Female Purple Martin. Photo by Jordan Roderick
Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk. Photo by Jordan Roderick	Adult male Pileated Woodpecker. Photo by Jordan Roderick
Adult and juvenile Pileated Woodpeckers. Photo by Bob Asanoma	Adult and juvenile Pileated Woodpeckers. Photo by Bob Asanoma

Report for July 13, 2017 Birding at Marymoor

It was overcast this morning, but not too cold, and it was pretty birdy. There’s not too much chance of surprises at this time of year, but the birding remains very good anyways. We’re beginning to see a little bit of post-breeding foraging, so a few species showing up that didn’t actually nest in the park.

Highlights:

Rock Pigeon – a couple of flyovers – first since early April
Virginia Rail – one heard across the slough – first since early April
Spotted Sandpiper – two at the weir
Glaucous-winged Gull – at least 6 – first group of gulls since mid-May
Cooper’s Hawk – two flying together doing a bit of a dance
Barn Owl – two that looked to be juveniles, flying the East Meadow 4:45-5:10
ALL SEVEN SWALLOW SPECIES – Including a lone BANK SWALLOW and about a half dozen NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS over the East Meadow
Cedar Waxwing – our first juveniles of the year
Black-throated Gray Warbler – What appeared to be a family group with at least 2 juveniles and at least 1 adult, just north of the heronry – First since early May
Savannah Sparrow – several juveniles
Lazuli Bunting – Male singing from his usual perches near the Viewing Mound
Bullock’s Oriole – Adult pair and a couple of young ones at 2nd Dog Swim Beach

At the lake, we saw some Wood Ducks fleeing from a couple of RIVER OTTERS. We did not see the BOBCAT photographed yesterday, however.

For the day, 61 species.

== Michael Hobbs

Bullock's Oriole. Photo by Bob Asanoma

Bobcat along East Meadow trail, 2017-07-12. Photo by Kazuto Shibata

Report for July 14, 2016 Birding at Marymoor

We had a really good day today, with sunny skies and pleasant temps. Of course our species count wasn’t huge, this being July, but the number of birds was pretty high, and there were great things to watch! Highlights: Wood Duck 4 clutches of ducklings, variety of ages Green Heron 2 adults at Rowing Club, subadult from Lake Platform Cooper’s Hawk Juvenile near Viewing Mound before 5:30 a.m. Virginia Rail Heard across slough from start of boardwalk Spotted Sandpiper 1 at weir Downy Woodpecker Great looks – family group? Pileated Woodpecker Female feeding a juv., close up, long look! Merlin Quick flyby stirred up the swallows Purple Martin Active at gourds, overhead much of the day too Tree Swallow Active nest in Lake Platform gourd still Bushtit 2 large family groups with young being fed Cedar Waxwing First juveniles of the year Yellow Warbler Juveniles being fed, adult males still singing Bl.-throated Gray Warbler Female feeding young cowbird, adult male seen Western Tanager Adult male and female seen separately Black-headed Grosbeak Adults and juveniles, close looks Lazuli Bunting Nice adult male at Compost Piles Brpwn-headed Cowbird Only 1 adult male, 3+ juveniles Bullock’s Oriole Almost tail-less juvenile with adult male and female As well as the ones noted above, there were juveniles or presumed juveniles of almost everything today. The GREAT BLUE HERON heronry is almost done for the season, with only 1 or maybe a few juveniles still on the nests. Overall numbers of GBHE down as birds are moving out of the area, but still ~ a dozen birds seen total. The number of EASTERN COTTONTAILS is large – we need more coyotes. Also had many sightings of at least 2 AMERICAN BEAVER, and a MUSKRAT at the Rowing Club. For the day, 60 species. == Michael Hobbs	What birds are in the reflection? Photo by Hugh Jennings Red-winged Blackbirds. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Willow Flycatcher. Photo by Ollie Oliver	A hint of a yellow gape might indictate this is a hatch-year bird. Western Wood-Pewee. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Female Bullock's Oriole. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Male Downy Woodpecker. Photo by Hugh Jennings
I think the brightness of the orange breast, and lack of streaking, point to a juvenile male Black-headed Grosbeak. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Adult male Black-headed Grosbeak. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Adult female (left) and juvenile Pileated Woodpecker. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Adult female feeding juvenile Pileated Woodpecker. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Adult female Yellow Warbler. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Down-covered juvenile Yellow Warbler. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Adult female Anna's Hummingbird. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Juvenile Northern Flicker. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Adult Green Heron showing molt of primary feathers. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Adult Green Heron (upper left) and Muskrat (lower right). Photo by Ollie Oliver
When you only weigh 0.2 ounces, a blade of grass makes a fine perch. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Painted Turtle. Photo by Ollie Oliver

Report for July 9, 2015 Birding at Marymoor

Michael is out of town, so Brian Bell, Sharon Cormier-Aagaard, Grace & Ollie Oliver, Patti North and I were on our own for the weekly Marymoor walk today -- It is definitely summertime, warm weather, with fewer birds singing, large numbers of young birds, and a few surprises. Highlights: 6 species of warbler [notably high for Marymoor at this time of year] - included a young male Black-throated Gray Warbler, 2 sightings of Wilson's Warbler males, a Yellow-rumped Warbler [maybe young?], along with a heard only Orange-crowned Warbler, several singing Yellow Warblers and a bunch of Common Yellowthroat family groups all over the place. Least Sandpiper - one at weir - Marymoor is notably shorebird-poor, so we'll take any sighting of shorebird we get beyond our Killdeer [missed today] and winter Wilson's Snipe. Spotted Sandpiper - saw one adult again at the weir -- we suspect them to be breeding below the weir. Lazuli Bunting - a female feeding two young in snag row, behind the portapotty at the east end - Cooper's Hawk - one carrying prey as it flew across the slough early. Another sighting [same bird?] near Pea Patch late, stirring up the swallows Bullock's Oriole - one male was seen well for a bit, no sign of young ones. Barn Owl - heard one young at windmill early, glimpses of one flying around east meadow a bit before dawn. Young birds of the year seen included: Mallard, Hooded Merganser, Great Blue Heron, Red-tailed Hawk, Band-tailed Pigeon, Barn Owl, Rufous Hummingbird, Red-breasted Sapsucker, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, Common Yellowthroat, Spotted Towhee, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Black-headed Grosbeak, Lazuli Bunting, Brown-headed Cowbird. Overall I think we had 59 species on the day. Matt Bartels, Seattle, WA	Sunrise. Photo by Ollie Oliver Spotted Sandpiper on the weir. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Least Sandpiper. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Least Sandpiper. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Male Wilson's Warbler. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Juvenile American Robin. Photo by Ollie Oliver
House Finch. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Belted Kingfisher. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Juvenile Lazuli Bunting. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Juvenile Lazuli Bunting. Photo by Ollie Oliver
American Beaver. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Painted Turtle at the Rowing Club. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Adult Bald Eagle, 2015-07-08. Photo by Stan Mandell	Black-capped Chickadee, 2015-07-08. Photo by Stan Mandell
American Robins, 2015-07-08. Photo by Stan Mandell	Bullfrog, 2015-07-05. Photo by Stan Mandell

Report for July 10, 2014 Birding at Marymoor

A hot, sunny July day – definitely the summer doldrums are here. NOT! We had a really birdy day today, with quite a few surprises. The weather couldn’t have been better, but the birds, rather than resting in the warmth, were active and singing and about. Highlights: Canada Goose Mark heard some early; first in 6 weeks ! Common Merganser 1 in slough near weir; first ever for Week 28 Virginia Rail SEEN from Lake Platform; none even heard for 6 weeks Spotted Sandpiper 2 (or 3?) again at weir Mourning Dove 1 at Compost Piles early, first ever for Week 28 Barn Owl Seen pre-dawn at windmill, East Meadow Black Swift 1 over mansion area around 5:45 a.m. Red-breasted Sapsucker Adult and juvenile, west side of East Meadow Pileated Woodpecker 1 seen, heard west of the slough MERLIN 1 from Viewing Mound early; first ever for Week 28 Yellow-rumped Warbler 2 “Audubon’s” near mansion BL.-THR. GRAY WARBLER 2+ sightings, 3+ individuals incl. adult feeding young WESTERN TANAGER Female, “Mysterious Thicket"; first ever for Week 28 Lazuli Bunting At least 1 male singing at Compost Piles After 20 years of weekly visits, we pretty much know what species are possible for any given week. (see MarymoorByWeek.pdf) Finding a species we’ve never had before during a given week is now getting to be a bit of a surprise. Getting FOUR of them today is a real surprise. (Okay, okay – we’ve probably had Western Tanager before this week, but the sighting was poor enough that it went down in my data as Uncertain Identification) There are still at least 2 active Great Blue Heron nests, though the total number of GBHEs in the park was down significantly from past weeks. I think both adults and juveniles have moved on to less crowded sites. It was quite a surprise to see a BLACK SWIFT on such a sunny day; normally we only see them on cloudy days. There was a BEAVER near the mouth of Tosh Creek. For the day, 66 species! == Michael Hobbs	Spotted Sandpiper. Photo by Ollie Oliver Dead juvenile Great Blue Heron in a nest with live ones. Photo by Hugh Jennings
Black-headed Grosbeak. Photo by Lillian Reis	Bushtit. Photo by Lillian Reis
Black-throated Gray Warbler. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Purple Finch. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Willow Flycatcher. Photo by Ollie Oliver. There may be a hint of a yellow "gape" at the base of the bill, which would indicate that this is a recently-fledged bird.	Western Tanager. Photo by Hugh Jennings
Marsh Wren. Photo by Lillian Reis	Savannah Sparrow. Photo by Ollie Olvier
Lazuli Bunting. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Osprey with nest materials. Photo by Lillian Reis
Anna's Hummingbird. Photo by Ollie Oliver	"Audubon's" Yellow-rumped Warbler male. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Adult Red-tailed Hawk mobbed by an American Robin. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Female and juvenile Wood Duck. Photo by Ollie Oliver
The Lake Platform is TOO SMALL. Photo by Lillian Reis	Margaret, our "Whirly Girly". Photo by Lillian Ries
"Peter Rabbit": Eastern Cottontail in the Community Gardens. Photo by Lillian Reis	American Beaver, 2014-07-07. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Belted Kingfisher, 2014-07-07. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Spotted Towhee, 2014-07-07. Photo by Ollie Oliver

Report for July 11, 2013 Birding at Marymoor

It was a rather quiet and cold (high in the 50’s) day under a dark overcast sky. There really wasn’t much in the way of highlights, though that’s not surprising at this time of year. Many of our breeding birds are finishing up nesting, and real post-breeding dispersal and migration are not yet underway. So we’ve mostly got breeding birds, including many juveniles, and not a lot of reason for singing or other displays. They’re all just trying to quietly get the young birds past their most vulnerable period. Highlights: Wood Duck Five young ducklings Great Blue Heron Most have left the heronry Osprey Lots of activity at the nest, over lake Cooper’s Hawk One early, another accip. from boardwalk Barn Owl Matt had one early near model airplane field Belted Kingfisher Adult male, juvenile at weir Pileated Woodpecker One FAR off to the west Purple Martin Matt heard early Swainson’s Thrush 20+ heard, 1 seen Cedar Waxwing First juvenile of the season Bullock’s Oriole Adult with a couple of young? Brian and I swung back through the park on our way out and managed to add RED-TAILED HAWK, BARN SWALLOW, and CLIFF SWALLOW, which were all new for the day, pushing our day list to 56 species. == Michael Hobbs	Tree Swallow. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Violet-green Swallows. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Violet-green Swallows. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Bullock's Orioles. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Bullock's Oriole. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Willow Flycatcher. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Singing Yellow Warbler. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Bushtit. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Juvenile Cedar Waxwing. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Milbert's Tortoiseshell. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Milbert's Tortoiseshell. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Lorquin's Admiral. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Muskrat. Photo by Ollie Oliver

Report for July 12, 2012 Birding at Marymoor

On this glorious sunny morning, Matt had a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT at the southeast corner of the East Meadow at about 5:00 a.m. As a result, we did the Marymoor walk backwards, so we could try for the chat sooner. Boy, I prefer the regular way – I feel much more oriented and combobulated when we do it counterclockwise. As it turned out, we could not relocate the chat when we swung by there around 5:45. After the walk, though, Brian and Ruth went back to the East Meadow. I’d just gotten home when Brian called to say the chat was singing and calling, so I raced down to the park and was able to get some good looks. We left it there, about 10:45, still singing away. Highlights: Osprey Adult next to the nest, 3 heads visible on the nest: at least 2 young Caspian Tern One over north end of lake Barn Owl Matt heard owl sounds from inside the windmill Cassin’s Vireo One singing at Rowing Club pond Red-eyed Vireo One again singing south of East Meadow Common Raven One heard Yellow-rumped Warbler One heard NE of mansion YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT As noted above Black-headed Grosbeak MANY, including. many young Bullock’s Oriole 2+ adult males, maybe others too This is just the 2nd YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT for Marymoor. The only previous sighting was on September 9, 2006, seen by Ollie Oliver and Alan Roedel. For the day, I think we came up with 58 species. For the year, I think we’re at 143. == Michael Hobbs	Yellow-breasted Chat. Photo by Michael Hobbs Yellow-breasted Chat flying out to the middle of the East Meadow.
Black-headed Grosbeaks. Photo by Lillian Reis	Tail end of a male Bullock's Oriole. Photo by Michael Hobbs
White-crowned Sparrow. Photo by Hugh Jennings	Male Yellow Warbler. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Male Downy Woodpecker. Photo by Lillian Reis	Mt. Rainier at dawn above the fog. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Bushtits, 2012-07-10. Photo by Lillian Reis	Juvenile Great Blue Heron on the nest, 2012-07-10. Photo by Lillian Reis
Male American Goldfinch, 2012-07-08. Photo by Lillian Reis	Male American Goldfinch, 2012-07-08. Photo by Lillian Reis

Report for July 14, 2011 Birding at Marymoor

Michael is still away so I got to sub for him this morning. The day dawned(?) dark and overcast. It stayed that way and we got a little misty rain later. In spite of that it was a pretty good day for the doldrums of July with many birds singing (although often from cover). Notable species: Green Heron Osprey Bald Eagle Barn Owl Black Swift Vaux's Swift Willow Flycatcher Many singing Marsh Wren Many singing Swainson's Thrush Lots singing Common Yellowthroat Lots singing Black-headed Grosbeak With young Bullock's Oriole Juvenile For the day, 56 species. Brian H. Bell Woodinville WA	Swainson's Thrush. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Adult Bald Eagle. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Male Common Yellowthroat. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Savannah Sparrow with grub. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Belted Kingfisher. Photo by Hugh Jennings
Coyote near the Osprey nest tower, 2011-07-10. Photo by Dasha Gudalewicz	Osprey watching the coyote, 2011-07-10. Photo by Dasha Gudalewicz
Adult Osprey with three young on the nest, 2011-07-10. Photo by Dasha Gudalewicz	Adult Osprey bringing in grass for new bedding, 2011-07-10. Photo by Dasha Gudalewicz

Report for July 15, 2010

Michael is out of town this week, so Brian Bell & I took the reins for this week's Marymoor Park walk. It was a beautiful morning at Marymoor -- little fog early, mosquitoes not too bad, and the heat never kicked in despite the sun. Mt. Rainier was prominent in the distance. As for birds, it was definitely summer doldrums time -- with lots of baby birds around, a good bit of singing persisting, but not as wide a variety of species making an appearance. Top highlight , as with last week: the LEAST FLYCATCHER was still present in exactly the same cottonwood grove at Dog Central [where the bulletin boards are] that it has been che-bekking in since June 17. Other notables: Pied-billed Grebe - our first grebe since before nesting season. Barn Owl - at the windmill @ 4:00am [no luck on the Screech-Owl this morning] Green Heron - 3 sightings, probably of 3 individuals, at least one was a juvie Red-breasted Sapsucker - 2 sightings including a juvie looking very grey/brown Bullock's Oriole - one juvie early, one adult male later Purple Martins - still in both of the gourds at the lake platform. Osprey - Young still on the nest over 520 We had baby Brown-headed Cowbirds all over the place -- hard time figuring out who was feeding them most of the time as they were getting a little grown up looking. A tantalizing 'maybe' was a look Richard Carlson had of a possible Bank Swallow over the sparrow piles. It would be/is the only the second Marymoor record for this species. Finally, this is how the east meadow woke up between about 4:30 and 5:10, as Scott Ramos & I waited for owl possibilities: Willow Flycatchers' "fitz-bews" & Swainson's Thrush "whits" begin the morning along with a few Killdeer calls. Swainson's switch to their songs slowly, as the American Robins join in. A scattered Song Sparrow song, and the beginnings of the Common Yellowthroat 'per-whichities' Add in a couple Spotted Towhee calls & trills, as a Bald Eagle gives a weak wake up call. Crows & Savannah Sparrows wake up and start filling in the gaps. Purple Martins up in the sky somewhere.... Marsh Wren begins late, as [this week] does Ring-necked Pheasant For the day, 59 species, with notable misses including Tree Swallow & Rock Pigeon. - Matt Bartels	Least Flycatcher. Photo by Ollie Oliver Male Bullock's Oriole. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Pied-billed Grebe at the lake platform. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Juvenile Brown-headed Cowbird. Photo by Ollie Oliver
White-crowned Sparrow. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Cedar Waxwing tossing a berry. Photo by Lillian Reis, 2010-07-16
Juvenile Downy Woodpecker. Photo by Lillian Reis, 2010-07-18	Green Heron. Photo by Lillian Reis, 2010-07-09
Cabbage White butterfly. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Young Mule Deer (or Black-tailed Deer). Photo by Ollie Oliver

Report for July 9, 2009

There were only 8 of us this morning, on an overcast (but otherwise very nice) day. In fact, when I arrived at 5:29, I was the ONLY person, and I was frantically trying to figure out if I'd come the wrong day or the wrong time (I'd had less than 4 hours sleep, so give me a break).

The first three of us who got there, though, saw a PEREGRINE FALCON fly north past our cars, so getting there on time does have advantages.

Other highlights:

Three BLACK SWIFTS flew over Dog Central. We had only two VAUX'S SWIFTS; their numbers seem way down from previous years.

A PURPLE MARTIN female was bringing twigs to the left gourd of the far pair at the lake platform.

We had both a CEDAR WAXWING with nesting materials, and a juvenile, so either there is double-clutching going on, or widely asynchronous nesting of various pairs.

We again had a family of YELLOW WARBLERS near Dog Central.

At the Compost Piles, there was a flock of 15+ juvenile BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS, with no adults (of any species) around. Apparently, they've realized that they're cowbirds...

Two male LAZULI BUNTINGS were in a singing duel, one from the cherry trees at the east end of the Compost Piles, the other from the cherry grove just west of the birding kiosk in Lot G - about 100 yards apart.

LOTS of juveniles of many species about, including: Wood Duck, Bald Eagle, Warbling Vireo (we think), Tree Swallow, Violet-green Swallow, Barn Swallow, American Crow, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Spotted Towhee, Savannah Sparrow, Black-headed Grosbeak, Brown-headed Cowbird, House Finch. Probably also Anna's Hummingbird, and several other species, though some of the young are difficult to tell now from adults.

Mammals were the real highlight. Scott had RACCOON and BEAVER early on. We had a MINK across from the first dog swim area, and a MUSKRAT too, as well as the usual squirrels and rabbits.

Oh, and Scott might have heard a RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET...

For the day, 57 species.

== Michael

Juvenile Brown-headed Cowbird

One of the three Black Swifts

Most of the flock of juvenile Brown-headed Cowbirds at the Compost Piles

Close-up of same

Float plane coming in for a landing on Lake Sammamish

Report for July 10, 2008

Glorious weather today, in marked contrast to last week. Started out about 55 degrees and slowly warmed up, but with the sunshine it was very pleasant. There were just a few thin, high clouds. Pretty quiet birdwise; we've been lacking in surprises recently. But still lots of interesting birds etc. to look at. Highlights: Wood Duck Inundated with ducklings of many sizes Green Heron Saw a couple of adults and 3 babies Osprey At least 1 pigeon-sized baby on the nest Cooper's Hawk At least 2 fluffy young on the nest Red-tailed Hawk Two fledged young perched, begging? Caspian Tern Two flying high downstream before 6am Barn Owl Matt had 1-2 early over East Meadow Anna's Hummingbird Many (8+?) all over park Rufous Hummingbird Not quite as many (5?) Red-breasted Sapsucker One near the Green Herons at Rowing Club Downy Woodpecker A couple of fledged young with parents Warbling Vireo The Rowing Club is THE place this year Red-eyed Vireo At least 2 singing around the boardwalk Orange-crowned Warbler One heard again south of East Meadow House Sparrow First one since April All the baby raptors are great fun. The two RED-TAILED HAWKS were in an alder snag across the slough, side by side, calling piteously. At the COOPER'S HAWK nest, one young bird, all white fluff, but beginning to get flight feathers, sat boldly on the outer edge of the nest. There was more white fluff moving down at the bottom of the nest. At the OSPREY platform, it was hard to see the young. They apparently can still duck down out of sight. But at one point it looked like there were two white fluffy heads, and later I got a great look at one young bird. We also had two RACCOONS on the far side of the slough, from Dog Central. For the day, 57 species. For the year, we're at 135 species. == Michael	One of two high-flying Caspian Terns Vaux's Swift
Two juvenile Red-tailed Hawks, possibly fledged from the nest west of the Rowing Club.
One of two Raccoons across the slough from Dog Central	Ollie Oliver's photo of same
One of two downy young Cooper's Hawks on the nest near the mansion	Ollie Oliver's photo of same
Two of six Bushtits in a dead Red Elderberry in the Dog Meadow	Great Blue Heron in a Black Cottonwood
Western Wood-Pewee	Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Black-tailed Deer in the East Meadow	Ollie Oliver's photo of a Red-breasted Sapsucker

Report for July 12, 2007

Thank goodness it wasn't as hot as yesterday. Actually it was very pleasant, with temps ranging from maybe 60-70, and sunny with thin patchy overcast. Not too many mosquitoes. The birds were somewhat scarce (more than 20 species were either heard-only or were represented by only a single bird). There were some highlights, though, for the dozen or so birders who came out with me: Green Heron Adult flew around weir Cooper's Hawk One flying east of mansion Virginia Rail One FLEW near east footbridge Hairy Woodpecker One flew across Dog Meadow Barn Owl Louise had one early (4:30) near the windmill Pacific-slope Flycatcher One near start of boardwalk Swainson's Thrush Abundant singing; few good looks except at Rowing Club Yellow-rumped Warbler Male Audubon's catching BIG bugs west of mansion Black-headed Grosbeak Many, including male feeding babies. No singing. Lazuli Bunting Louise had one singing in Snag Row after 5:00am Lots of baby birds, many being fed. A partial list of 1st-year birds includes Common Yellowthroat, Black-capped Chickadee, American Robin, European Starling, Red-tailed Hawk, Spotted Towhee, Cedar Waxwing (being fed), Black-headed Grosbeak, Wood Duck, Brown-headed Cowbird, Violet-green Swallow, Dark-eyed Junco, Barn Swallow, Cliff Swallow. For the day, 59 species of bird, plus Raccoon, Black-tailed Deer, Eastern Cottontail, Long-tailed Weasel, Eastern Gray Squirrel, Muskrat(?), Bullfrog, Garter Snake, Red-eared Slider, and at least 3 species of dragonfly and several different butterflies. == Michael	Marsh Wren near nest in early morning light. Brown-headed Cowbirds near weir.
Near the weir at about 6:00 a.m.	Ollie Oliver's photo of a Swainson's Thrush
Guesses? It should be pretty easy...	Mostly juvenile Violet-green Swallows, plus a House Finch
Water Lily at the lake	Balloon over Redmond