Friends of Marymoor Park

Bird Sightings Week 32
August 6-12*

Rarities for Week 32:

Baird's Sandpiper	08-Aug-07	Reported by Rachel Lawson & Penny Koyama
Semipalmated Sandpiper	08-Aug-02	Two birds
Common Tern	06-Aug-15
Red-shouldered Hawk	11-Aug-16	Continuing bird, first seen 02-Aug-16
Black Phoebe	12-Aug-21	Below weir
Bank Swallow	08-Aug-09	Reported by Grace Oliver
Northern Waterthrush	12-Aug-21	Below weir

Report for August 8, 2024 Birding at Marymoor

The Summer Doldrums may let up as early as next week, but today was Q-U-I-E-T. Beautiful sunny windless morning; alas, also mostly birdless.

Highlights:

California Gull - A late scan of the lake featured at least one each of adult and juvenile. First of Year (FOY)
Caspian Tern - Four flew down the river
Cooper's Hawk - One (maybe 2) juveniles. First of Fall (FOF)
Hairy Woodpecker - At least 2, at least one of which was a juvenile with a red cap
Western Wood-Pewee - Notably many heard; perhaps this year's young are out calling
Tree Swallow - None in the East Meadow, but 2+ at Pea Patch early. Getting late for them
Purple Martin - Several across the slough, active at one of the gourds at the Lake Platform including sound of young from inside
Swainson's Thrush - Heard only, pre-dawn only
Purple Finch - Notably many, including many young

Misses today included Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Red-tailed Hawk, Barn Owl, Violet-green Swallow, and Black-headed Grosbeak. Our only warblers were Yellow (heard-only) and Common Yellowthroat.

For the day, 55 species.

= Michael Hobbs

Report for August 10, 2023 Birding at Marymoor

Today featured a high cloud cover, which meant the morning wasn't too cold. Temps in the 60s all morning, hitting 70 by the end. The park was audibly quiet; almost no birds are singing, and even calls seemed muted today. But birds were definitely about.

The best sighting, though, was Matt Bartels - returned after a three-month absence. Great to see him up and around.

Bird highlights:

Common Merganser - Female with 5 large ducklings fishing the slough and weir area
Rufous Hummingbird - Still one remaining in the NW corner of the Pea Patch
Virginia Rail - One heard late in the morning, well downstream of the weir
LEAST SANDPIPER - 4-5 seen. See below
Red-breasted Sapsucker - One at edge of Dog Meadow
Hairy Woodpecker - One or two
Pileated Woodpecker - One flew south over our heads, for a 5 Woodpecker Day
Warbling Vireo - One along the edge of the Dog Meadow
Purple Martin - Still active at both the gourds and in the snags west of the slough
Tree Swallow - Getting late for them; two over the East Meadow
Violet-green Swallow - Only one !
Western Tanager - Male, south end of East Meadow

Pre-dawn I had one (maybe two) LEAST SANDPIPER in a very unexpected place. It was on the gravel trail along the west edge of the East Meadow. After possible/probable sightings the past two weeks, it was great to get a confirming look. Once the walk started, we had one heard and briefly glimpsed downstream of the weir. Later in the morning, Matt had 4-5 calling and then landing just below the weir. We've had fewer than 20 confirmed sightings of Least Sandpiper ever at Marymoor.

Misses today included just Barn Owl (easy to see a this time of year if they are breeding in the park, which they didn't seem do to this year), Brown-headed Cowbird, and Wilson's Warbler.

And, of course, we were all missing Brian Bell.

For the day, 62 species.

= Michael Hobbs

Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk. Photo by Michael Hobbs

Rufous Hummingbird. Photo by Michael Hobbs

Report for August 11, 2022 Birding at Marymoor

A fine sunny day with some birds, including quite a few species with talons. But not a lot that was unexpected. Really good to be out birding.

Highlights:

Eurasian Collared-Dove - One at Compost Piles
Osprey - Young at the ballfields nest may have fledged. Osprey everywhere all morning
Cooper's Hawk - Many, many sightings, but we believe it was all one bird
Bald Eagle - Two adults seen from Lake Platform
Red-tailed Hawk - At least two
Barn Owl - Matt and I saw one nicely, East Meadow, 5:25 a.m.
Western Screech-Owl - Matt heard one early
Peregrine Falcon - One interacting with swallows, seen from Lake Platform
Hairy Woodpecker - Heard three times; 1-2 birds
Warbling Vireo - One heard singing from Dog Meadow, after a miss last week. More should be coming through in migration soon
Western Tanager - Two or three across the slough, including a fine looking male

Misses included Rock Pigeon, Vaux's Swift, Bushtit, Red-winged Blackbird, and Brown-headed Cowbird.

For the day, 59 species.

= Michael Hobbs

Report for August 6, 2021 Birding at Marymoor

Not a bad ‘doldrums’ day at Marymoor! The highlights of the day came in the first hour, when Sandi, first-time Marymoor-walk participant, picked out the first-ever BLACK PHOEBE for the park. It gave brief glimpses then disappeared for a bit, then started sticking around on visible perches for nice looks. While we were watching, we began hearing a second ‘different’ chip note - after a bit of searching, up popped a NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH! 2nd ever for the park, and first for the Marymoor survey. Like the Black Phoebe, after a bit of waiting, the Waterthrush eventually popped up for great views for all.

We eventually continued with rest of the walk — it was not bad for a mid-august day at the park - lots of weird signing presumably from young birds.

Highlights:

Pied-billed Grebe - adult & imm close to the viewing platform - after being only far far away or absent all summer, nice to have closer looks.
Eurasian Collared-Dove - 1 fly-by from East Meadow viewing mound
Mourning Dove - 1 fly-by in dog area
Caspian Tern - one, again. Tenth straight week, and 12th of last 13 weeks
Green Heron - one imm at Rowing Club
Osprey - still have 2 active nests
Willow Flycatcher - still many fitz-bew-ing families around
Black Phoebe - park first
Warbling Vireo - 3 together at Rowing Club, after missing all day earlier and last week
Northern Waterthrush - park 2nd, first for survey
Yellow Warbler - none seen, but still a couple singing

Lowlights:

Vaux’s Swift - only got them from the Rowing Club, near the end of the walk
Great Blue Heron - did we really only see one all day? I think so
Purple Martin - overhead we heard a few , but none at the gourds after having 4 in a gourd last week.
Swainson’s Thrush - only heard them at Rowing Club- none earlier
Black-headed Grosbeak - only one found

Misses included: Band-tailed Pigeon [tho we had 3 species of pigeon/dove]; most woodpeckers [only had Downy and N. Flicker], swallows [only had Purple Martin]; Brown-headed Cowbird [we really haven’t had many this summer.

Overall though, can’t complain after an outing like this.

For the day, 56 species [including gull sp.]

Matt Bartels

Black Phoebe. Photo by Jordan Roderick

Northern Waterthrush. Photo by Jordan Roderick

Report for August 6, 2020 Birding at Marymoor

For a while this morning, we were calling today’s walk the Marymoor No Birds Survey. It was cloudy, breezy, and dark. By the time we got to the Lake Platform, it was raining steadily and wetly. No mere drizzle. And the birds were very, very quiet and very hard to see.

Highlights:

Vaux’s Swift – one of the few birds in the skies. At least a dozen
American Coot – lone bird continues
Caspian Tern – two over the lake
Green Heron – adult at Rowing Club pond
Barn Owl – probable juvenile flew the East Meadow periodically, with last sighting at 5:41 a.m.
Western Screech-Owl – Matt heard one very predawn
Western Wood-Pewee – family group(?) along slough trail
Purple Martins – two juveniles (at least) in each of 3 of the 4 gourds a the Lake Platform, plus several adults. Our only swallows
Black-headed Grosbeak – one seen distantly (not a breeding male)

Misses today included Hooded Merganser, Pied-billed Grebe, Rock Pigeon (did have 2 “pigeon sp.”), Spotted Sandpiper, any identifiable gull (had about 5 total, at least 1 with definite black wing tips – California?), Violet-green Swallow, Barn Swallow, Marsh Wren, Swainson’s Thrush (may have heard one, but it was not definitive), Red-winged Blackbird, Yellow Warbler (may have seen one), Black-throated Gray Warbler, and Wilson’s Warbler.

We managed just 45 species, plus the pigeon sp. and the gull ssp. To make things worse, seven of the birds we did report were Heard Only, and another nine or ten were represented by single individuals.

All of which is to say that you’re glad you stayed home.

== Michael Hobbs

Eastern Cottontail. Photo by Bob Asanoma

Report for August 8, 2019 Birding at Marymoor

We met under dark misty skies, and it took forever to get even slightly brighter. It was very quiet, and we had to work hard to find birds. But although this is the “doldrums”, birds are beginning to be on the move.

Highlights:

Gadwall – female in slough, amazingly our first Gadwall since early June
Green Heron - 2+, with a juvenile seen well above the weir
Osprey – chicks getting very large. Also saw an adult with a HUGE fish; probably a cutthroat
Barn Owl – one near model airplane field, 5:30ish
Western Screech-Owl – 2 or 3 heard, adult seen very well at 5:20am south of East Footbridge
- Five woodpecker day -
Pacific-slope Flycatcher – three sightings, prob. at least 2 birds
Purple Martin – gourds appeared empty. Did see ~6 birds flying to the SE
EVENING GROSBEAK – female flew overhead calling
CHIPPING SPARROW – two juveniles at the south end of the East Meadow
Black-throated Gray Warbler – nice adult male at south end of Dog Meadow

Around 5:45 a.m., Matt and I heard what sounded like two calls from a shorebird, possibly a Least Sandpiper, but we never saw the bird, nor heard it again.

Misses included Rock Pigeon, Vaux’s Swift, Killdeer, Violet-green Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Bushtit, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Marsh Wren, Red-winged Blackbird, Wilson’s Warbler, and Black-headed Grosbeak (though we may have heard one).

Throughout the day there were birds that “got away”, either heard or seen too indistinctly for positive ID. Still, we managed 56 species.

== Michael Hobbs

Adult Great Blue Heron at the weir
Photo by Bob Asanoma

Osprey in the morning sun
Photo by Bob Asanoma

Report for August 9, 2018 Birding at Marymoor

A beautiful day today at Marymoor, with a pretty good number of post-breeding visiting species to keep things quite interesting. Little actual singing, of course, and many hatch-year birds seen. A delightful 60 degrees pre-dawn, it warmed up to nearly 80 by the time we were done. Fairly birdy overall.

Highlights:

Common Merganser – female with 4-5 ducklings at the weir
Rock Pigeon – flyover flock – first since early May!
Vaux’s Swift – 20-30 in flock at Rowing Club. Migrants?
Rufous Hummingbird – still one at Pea Patch
Spotted Sandpiper – apparent juvenile at weir
California Gull – 3; ID verified during late lake scan
Caspian Tern – 1
Green Heron – juvenile
Barn Owl – juv. heard in windmill, 1-2 glimpsed in East Meadow fog pre-dawn
Western Screech-Owl – one heard pre-dawn near East Footbridge
Hairy Woodpecker – across slough from Lake Platform
Pileated Woodpecker – male in firs NE of mansion
Willow Flycatcher – still abundantly singing
Warbling Vireo – adult and juvenile
RED-EYED VIREO – great looks near last Dog Beach – first since 2013!
Purple Martin – most have fledged; many birds overhead, at least 1 still in a gourd
Cliff Swallow – seen during late lake scan; may have seen one over East Meadow earlier
Swainson’s Thrush - 2+ heard calling just before sunrise; no others detected
Savannah Sparrow – only 1-2, East Meadow
Common Yellowthroat – MANY, but I didn’t see/hear any adult males
Yellow Warbler – 2-3, at least one a singing male
Black-throated Gray Warbler – one, west edge of East Meadow
Wilson’s Warbler – One in Cottonwood Forest
Black-headed Grosbeak – Only 1 or 2

RED-EYED VIREO were previously summer residents at Marymoor, with 1 or 2 singing males, and successful nesting noted some years. They were dependably reported 12+ weeks each summer, from late-May through early September, every year from 1995 (when I learned their song from Brian Bell) through 2008. Then they suddenly became scarce.
     2009: 6 reports
     2010: 2 reports
     2011: 1 report
     2012: 4 reports
     2013: 2 reports
And then no more reports after that before today (though there is one ebird report each from 2014 and 2015).

Misses today included Hooded Merganser, Red-tailed Hawk, Violet-green Swallow, and Marsh Wren.

For the day, 60 species. For the year, adding RED-EYED VIREO, the park list is at 144.

== Michael Hobbs

Sliver of a crescent moon, 4:30am. Photo by Michael Hobbs

Juvenile Green Heron. Photo by Jordan Roderick

Hatch-year Willow Flycatcher. Photo by Jordan Roderick

Juvenile Warbling Vireo. Photo by Jordan Roderick

Red-eyed Vireo. Photo by Jordan Roderick

Song Sparrow about to feed Brown-headed Cowbird chick. Photo by Jordan Roderick

Some kind of band-winged grasshopper. Photo by Michael Hobbs

Report for August 10, 2017 Birding at Marymoor

We’re at the heights of Summer Doldrums, but we’re beginning to get the chance for something to “turn up”. They day, though, was rather airless. It started out foggy, and quickly became hazy. The sun was very orange at sunrise, though the moon wasn’t that colored at moonset, so it seems the smoke is worse to the east. Birds were quiet for the most part, and not a lot was flying overhead before about 8:30.

Highlights:

Common Merganser – group at weir – family? First in five weeks
Virginia Rail – one heard along slough – only 2nd since April
Cooper’s Hawk – several sightings
Barn Owl – one over East Meadow, early; looked like a juvenile
Pileated Woodpecker – Seen well at Rowing Club
Purple Martin – at least 2 babies in gourd at Lake Platform
Yellow Warbler – a couple at least
Yellow-rumped Warbler – a couple of VERY drab juveniles
Black-throated Gray Warbler – very nice male, and at least 1 more drab bird
CHIPPING SPARROW – adult, with juncos, near the windmill. Only our 3rd or 4th fall sighting ever

Though we ended up with 57 species, several were notably represented by only single birds. This included California Gull, Red-tailed Hawk, Violet-green Swallow, Swainson’s Thrush, and Red-winged Blackbird.

A couple of us saw a Raccoon right around 6:00, our first for 2017.

== Michael Hobbs

American Goldfinch. Photo by Hugh Jennings

Adult Cooper's Hawk. Photo by Hugh Jennings

Report for August 11, 2016 Birding at Marymoor

Michael was away to Albuquerque, so Matt, Sharon and I substituted for him. It was a very pleasant day, cool to start and warming nicely at the close. Light to no winds today, singing has really dropped off, but there was lots of calling. 65 species today – a very nice day for August The highlights today were: Western Screech Owl – seen and heard early (5 a.m.) on river trail Red-shouldered Hawk – relocated today early on regular walk – we did a major break of route to track it down and get confirming looks – immature bird Notable today: Yellow Warbler singing Black-throated Gray Warbler Wood Duck Common Merganser Hooded Merganser Spotted Sandpiper – juvenile Green Herons – three Red-winged Blackbirds – first in some weeks Northern Rough-winged Swallows Cliff Swallow Tree Swallow – 1 Violet-green Swallow Brian H. Bell Woodinville WA	Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk. Photo by Ollie Oliver Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Juvenile Spotted Sandpiper. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Common Mergansers. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Osprey. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Osprey. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Willow Flycatcher. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Western Wood-Pewee. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Vaux's Swift. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Male Purple Martin with dragonfly. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Male Purple Martin. "All clear?" Photo by Ollie Oliver	"Clear. Proceed to depart." Photo by Ollie Oliver
Northern Rough-winged Swallow. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Red-eared Slider and Green Heron at Rowing Club pond. Photo by Ollie Oliver

Report for August 6, 2015 Birding at Marymoor

Marymoor is a really good place to go birding, as we were reminded today. It was not the best day; we had a couple of hours of mist, mizzle, drizzle, and even light rain this morning, and birds were quite hard to find. But the weather cleared, and the birds came out. Best highlight was a COMMON TERN seen from the Lake Platform. Highlights: Common Merganser Juvenile at weir again Green Heron Juvenile at Rowing Club – 4th week Osprey Many overhead Cooper’s Hawk Juvenile going after crows, Pea Patch COMMON TERN One at lake Barn Owl Great looks, Viewing Mound, after 5:30 a.m. Red-breasted Sapsucker 4-6 juveniles Pacific-slope Flycatcher 1, south end of Dog Meadow Purple Martin 3 babies still in gourd nest Brown Creeper Maybe 6 MacGillivray’s Warbler 1 just south of heronry Common Yellowthroat Many, incl. 1 feeding cowbird Yellow Warbler Multiple males singing, plus female Yellow-rumped Warbler 2 birds NE of mansion Black-throated Gray Warbler At least 3 birds Townsend’s Warbler Female at Rowing Club Wilson’s Warbler One south of heronry Western Tanager Several seen, heard While it was still cloudy, we had our first big excitement when a LONG-TAILED WEASEL popped up in a hawthorn just south of the heronry. Many birds crowded around to keep an eye on the weasel, and that’s where the MACGILLIVRAY’S WARBLER showed up. We got to watch the weasel for about 5 minutes. The COMMON TERN at the lake is just our 2nd sighting ever! Our only previous sighting was two birds back in August 25, 2004. While the gourd nest still has 3 juvenile PURPLE MARTINS sticking their heads out, waiting to be fed, I suspect many of the other nest boxes (NE corner of the lake) have fledged their young. After the sun came out, there were many PUMAs overhead, mixed with BARN SWALLOWS. The Rowing Club featured a great mixed flock that included four of the seven species of warblers that we had today, including both a male and a female BLACK-THROATED GRAY, and the female-type TOWNSEND’S WARBLER. Mixed in were chickadees, our only BUSHTITS of the day, plus probably a half-dozen other species. Our last birds were our only RED-TAILED HAWK in a conifer north of the Rowing Club parking lot, and four ROCK PIGEONS at SR-520 at the NW corner of the park. For the day, we had 66 species. == Michael Hobbs	Juvenile Common Merganser at the weir. Photo by Ollie Oliver Long-tailed Weasel caused avian consternation. Photos by Ollie Oliver
Common Tern over the lake. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Common Tern over the lake. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Common Tern over the lake. Photo by Ollie Oliver	From left. Wood Duck, Mallard, Hooded Merganser, Green Heron, Red-eared Slider. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Juvenile Red-breased Sapsucker just beginning to get red head. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Juvenile Brown-headed Cowbird. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Anyone care to identify this worn, molting adult gull?	Mew? Ring-billed? California? Two photos by Ollie Oliver
Female Black-throated Gray Warbler. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Townsend's Warbler. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Western Wood-Pewee. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Brown Creeper. Photo by Ollie Oliver

Report for August 7, 2014 Birding at Marymoor

We had a really nice morning; comfortable temps, white clouds and blue skies, no wind, and some good birds. Highlights: RED-NECKED GREBE Two at lake Great Blue Heron One nest still has 2 babies. 2nd clutch? Green Heron Juvenile at Rowing Club pond Barn Owl Good looks after 5 a.m. from Viewing Mound Red-breasted Sapsucker Matt & I saw one, NW corner of Dog Meadow Pileated Woodpecker One or more; several looks / hearings AMERICAN KESTREL One over Rowing Club Purple Martin A couple overhead Tree Swallow Still 2 around; adult and juvie, I believe Orange-crowned Warbler One, south end of Dog Meadow Black-throated Gray Warbler One, south end of Dog Meadow Wilson’s Warbler Young male, south end of Dog Meadow Western Tanager Female / juvenile, south end of East Meadow Evening Grosbeak Heard overhead Our earliest prior fall RED-NECKED GREBE was August 31 (2007), and our latest spring bird was May 28 (1998), so August 7 is a very unusual date for this species at Marymoor. It’s also just our 19th sighting of the species at the park. Similarly, the AMERICAN KESTREL was the earliest fall sighting for this species; our previous first fall date being August 18 (1994). This was also an early fall date for EVENING GROSBEAK. Conversely, we’ve only had two later sightings for TREE SWALLOW: August 8 (2001) and August 11 (2011). Lots of babies at the park, including WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE feeding young (and feeding a young BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD) Also, a LONG-TAILED WEASEL (I know, not a bird, but it preys on them), was pretty high up in an Oregon Ash tree near the south end of the Dog Meadow. At first I thought it was a Douglas Squirrel (a species we’ve only had three times at Marymoor), but then it came out into the open near the trunk, and we got great looks at the weasel romping around and poking its nose into any likely looking nook or hole as it made its way down the tree. At one point it was hassled by an American Robin which took a flying swipe at the weasel. For the day, 60 species, despite missing Pied-billed Grebe, Rock Pigeon, Violet-green Swallow, and Cliff Swallow. The RED-NECKED GREBE and AMERICAN KESTREL were new for the year. I believe that gets us to 142 which is still low... == Michael Hobbs	Why would anyone get up long before sunrise, ever???. Photo by Ollie Oliver Wood Duck in the slough. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Long-tailed Weasel searching high in an Oregon Ash tree. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Female Pileated Woodpecker. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Red-necked Grebes on the lake. Two photos by Ollie Oliver	One bird is clearly an adult; the other may be a juvenile. Note they swapped positions
Song Sparrow feeding a young Brown-headed Cowbird. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Song Sparrow feeding a young Brown-headed Cowbird. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Young Black-capped Chickadee. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Adult Painted Turtle and juvenile Green Heron at the Rowing Club pond. Photo by Ollie Oliver
In this pose, one might think "accipiter", though the wings are a bit too pointed. Note also the line of contrasting dark primary tips, which no accipiter would ever show.	The flared tail, showing solid rust with a black terminal band, makes the identification as American Kestrel trivially easy. Two photos by Ollie Oliver

Report for August 8, 2013 Birding at Marymoor

A gorgeous summer day, and it was distinctly birdier than last week. Still not huge numbers of species, but there some post-breeding movements of birds noticeable. Highlights: Spotted Sandpiper Two sightings: lake, slough California Gull About 10 at 6 a.m. Barn Owl At least 2, East Meadow, last sighting 5:25am Black Swift Several over the park despite the nice weather Rufous Hummingbird One in Pea Patch Orange-crowned Warbler One, SW corner of Dog Meadow Common Yellowthroat Abundant Yellow Warbler Male, singing, another feeding young Black-throated Gray Warbler SW corner of Dog Meadow, + Rowing Club Wilson’s Warbler SW corner of Dog Meadow We had 55 species on the 8th, and just 50 on the 1st, but the two week total was 64 species! == Michael Hobbs	Male Yellow Warbler. Photo by Ollie Oliver Sometimes you only get a partial look at a bird, which can make ID difficult. But note the yellow goes all the way to the tip of the tail, and you can see some faint red streaks at the top of the breast, two great ID points for Yellow.
Great Blue Heron. Sometimes you just have to scratch. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Black-throated Gray Warbler. Note white chin on this bird. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Western Wood-Pewee. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Juvenile Song Sparrow. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Rufous Hummingbird. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Rufous Hummingbird. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Black-throated Gray Warbler. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Black-throated Gray Warbler. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Spotted Sandpiper. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Muskrat at Rowing Club pond. Photo by Ollie Oliver

Report for August 9, 2012 Birding at Marymoor

It was a nice, sunny, comfortably cool morning, with just some thin high clouds after the low early-morning fog cleared. It was pretty quiet, but we managed to find some stuff. Still, this is the August Doldrums, when not much is wandering, not much is singing, and juvenile birds vie with molting adults for rattiest looker awards. Highlights: Cooper's Hawk At least 2 juveniles Anna's Hummingbird Six would be a conservative count Rufous Hummingbird 1 in Pea Patch, harassed by Anna's Pileated Woodpecker 2 in a snag far to the northwest Cassin's Vireo Lillian Reis photographed one Orange-crowned Warbler 1 east of 3rd dog beach Yellow Warbler 2, one singing Black.-throated Gray Warbler Maybe 3 along slough riparian Western Tanager 1 heard below weir - "pre-dic" Brown-headed Cowbird All unaccompanied juveniles Purple Finch 8-10 Pine Siskin At least 2 in mansion area Matt saw a COYOTE as he left. A juvenile COOPER HAWK made several swipes at an AMERICAN CROW that was hopping along the grass looking for grubs or such. It wasn't clear if the hawk thought the crow might be edible, if a bit large, or if it was unclear about the mobber/mobbie relationship. Several times this summer, we've thought we heard PINE SISKINS at the top of the firs around the mansion, but this was the first time we could confirm since the first week in June. For the day, I believe the group total was 58 species, though I don’t think any one person saw more than about 52. == Michael Hobbs	Two Pileated Woodpecker about a half-mile to the west of the mansion. Photo by Ollie Oliver Adult Spotted Towhee gathering food. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Black-throated Gray Warbler. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Black-throated Gray Warbler. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Willow Flycatcher. Photo by Lillian Reis	Cassin's Vireo. Photo by Lillian Reis
Vaux's Swift. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Barn Swallows. Photo by Lillian Reis
Juvenile Spotted Towhee	Juvenile Spotted Towhee. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Juvenile Cooper's Hawk. Photo by Ollie Oliver	American Coot. Note the lobed feet. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Beetle photo by Hugh Jennings

Report for August 11, 2011 Birding at Marymoor

Brian Bell & I subbed for Michael Hobbs today on a cloudy august day at Marymoor today. Birding was noticeably slower than in recent weeks, with stretches between the flocks of birds. In the end we came up with 58 species for the day, with some signs of fall migration mixed in. Highlights: Green Heron -2 adults - no sign of the young 'uns, but there was lots of rowing traffic. Cooper's Hawk - 1 adult w/ a full crop -- a park worker mentioned seeing it catch a mammal of some sort Merlin - our 4th week straight for Merlin Spotted Sandpiper - it has not been a good year for them at Marymoor [often we have scattered summer sightings] - today we saw one from the viewing platform then one [same or different?] on the slough by the windmill Barn Owl -2 adults hunting in the east meadow & at the model airplane field, and sounds of one baby in the windmill, all early. Western Wood-Pewee - feeding a Brown-headed Cowbird Willow Flycatchers - still many around singing, along with a pretty high count of Pewees. Purple Martin - 2 were at the gourds, male & female - 2nd clutch? Tree Swallow - last week and this week, we've had adults feeding young in one of the east meadow nest boxes -since most of the swallows have left, this is a late double clutching , we assume. Orange-crowned Warbler - 2 , presumably moving through Black-throated Gray Warbler - one immature male, presumed migrant Common Yellowthroats - many family groups around, w/ 10+ young seen On the 'other' front, Brian saw our first Coyote in a long time, early. And we had a big crawfish off one of the dog launches. Good birding, Matt Bartels	Juvenile Belted Kingfisher. Photo by Ollie Oliver Male Belted Kingfisher. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Warbling Vireo. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Juvenile Black-headed Grosbeak. Photo by Hugh Jennings
Female Purple Martin cleaning the nest gourd. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Female Purple Martin. Photo by Ollie Olive
Male Purple Martin. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Juvenile Spotted Towhee. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Willow Flycatcher. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Red-breasted Nuthatch. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Long-tailed Weasel, 2011-08-08. Photo by Marc Hoffman	Three juvenile Green Heron along slough, 2011-08-06. Photo by Marc Hoffman

Report for August 12, 2010

We had a small group today (lots of people are traveling) under a dark sky. It was neither warm nor cold, though it certainly wasn't summery. Kind of dead, really, but we found a few birds to look at. Green Heron At least 3 juveniles, lots of sightings Cooper's Hawk One over the weir Barn Owl Matt had 2 calling, East Meadow, early RED-EYED VIREO 2 south of Dog Central Purple Martin Lots of activity at the gourds Or.-crowned Warbler 2, west edge of Dog Meadow Yellow Warbler Still many, including singing B.-throated Gray Wblr 2 or so south of Dog Central Wilson's Warbler 1 male singing near east footbridge Summer birds linger in small numbers. Actually WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE and WILLOW FLYCATCHER were still singing all over, but SWAINSON'S THRUSH were down to a couple of glimpses and several whits. And we only had one BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, and no Warbling Vireos. For swallows, we had only PURPLE MARTIN, and VIOLET-GREEN and BARN SWALLOWS. And we had 1-2 RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS in the Pea Patch, but we didn't have any the past 3 weeks. They're pretty much done around Marymoor for the year. Big misses included Bushtit and European Starling. And where the heck are the Spotted Sandpipers??? For the day, 55 species. For the year, I think we're at 131. == Michael	Male Common Yellowthroat. Photo by Ollie Oliver. Four of at least six Purple Martins seen at the gourds.
Juvenile Spotted Towhee just getting a few rufous feathers. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Barn Swallows, with a few Violet-green Swallows and House Finches.
Barn Swallow with unusual white markings. My soft-focus portrait...	...and Ollie's sharper one
Rufous Hummingbird in the Pea Patch. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Female Mallard with turtle, in the slough near the windmill
Osprey misses a fish...	...and shakes himself dry. Photos by Lillian Reis, 2010-08-06
Western Wood-Pewees. Photo by Lillian Reis, 2010-08-07	Photo by Hugh Jennings

Report for August 6, 2009

About a dozen of us met this morning at 6:00 a.m. to bird a rather quiet Marymoor under heavy overcast skies. There wasn't much about, but the more we scoured the bushes, the more we found. We proceeded slowly, because there were lots of unfamiliar bird calls and song fragments. In most cases, these were traced to various juvenile birds trying out their voices. We had BEWICK'S WRENS making barely recognizable broken fragments of songs and calls, a BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD juvenile sounding like a calling Black-headed Grosbeak, and other vocal oddities. It made for slow going, as we kept having to ask ourselves "what the heck was that???" Highlights: Osprey 5 minimum, maybe several more MERLIN One in the Community Gardens Spotted Sandpiper 4 on the railing of the lake platform, 1 at weir CASPIAN TERN Over the lake, our latest sighting ever Barn Owl Scott had one in the wee hours Hairy Woodpecker One heard and glimpsed near the weir Pacific-slope Flycatcher One bird along west edge of Dog Meadow Purple Martin Parents feeding 3 young at nearest gourd Brown Creeper 4-5, including begging young following parent Swainson's Thrush One obvious juvenile, several others Yellow Warbler Two across from Dog Central, singing Black-throated Grey Warbler 2-3 along west edge of Dog Meadow Wilson's Warbler 3-4 Western Tanager 2-3 males - First of Fall At one point, there were two OSPREY perched in large firs near the mansion, calling incessantly. Juveniles? Two more Osprey flew northward, ignoring the youngsters. Then another Osprey came flying north with a fish, again ignoring the two in the tree. At least 1 Osprey was at the nest platform for much of the day, and multiple birds were seen over the lake. Hard to count... Before 6:00 a.m., Matt and Scott had a falcon fly by the east end of Snag Row. They tentatively identified it as a Peregrine, though Matt was second-thinking that ID after the definitive Merlin sighting at the Pea Patch. Scott also thought he had a NORTHERN HARRIER near the Compost Piles, but nobody else got more than glimpses of the bird. We had baby BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS doing their best to insist on getting fed by: WILLOW FLYCATCHER, WARBLING VIREO, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, WILSON'S WARBLER, and, I think, SONG SPARROW. For the day, 60 species (not counting the possible harrier and/or peregrine). Not bad at all for the August doldrums... == Michael	CRAPPY PHOTO DAY Male Western Tanager in a Black Cottonwood Bushtit in a European Hawthorn, part of a large flock
Baby Purple Martins looking glum because they haven't been fed in AT LEAST ten seconds	Female Purple Martin stuffing bugs into one gaping maw
HURRY UP, DAD. I'M STARVING	Red-winged Blackbird looking for bugs under the lily pads
Osprey "riding a fish"	Brown Creeper on a Western Red Cedar near the mansion
Scott Ramos saw a Common Opossum in the early morning hours	Scott's photo of a juvenile Green Heron

Report for August 7, 2008

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

Report for August 9, 2007

Ten of us enjoyed a rather quiet, overcast day yesterday. We had hopes of refinding the Least and Baird's Sandpipers that had been found on Wednesday, but we had only one flying unidentified shorebird that was certainly "of interest" but that's all we could say. Despite that disappointment, the morning was pleasant.

Highlights:

Osprey                                    2 young close to fledging
Sharp-shinned Hawk               First in months, over Snag Row
Green Heron                           A couple of nice looks
Spotted Sandpiper                  Flock of 6 on lily pads at lake
Vaux's Swift                            Numbers much higher (20+) than usual
Warbling Vireo                       Adult feeding young south of Dog Central
Red-eyed Vireo                      Still 2 singing in Cottonwood Forest
Black-throated Gray Warbler 2 seen south of Dog Central
Western Tanager                     First of Fall, 1 male

Now a few comments about 2007 versus previous years:

Gadwall sightings at Marymoor used to be very common, but 2007 continues a recent trend of Gadwall eschewing the park. Plenty of them elsewhere, but not at Marymoor.

Pied-billed Grebe have at least attempted nesting at Marymoor every summer from 1994-2006. They have been completely absent from Marymoor this summer, our last sighthing being from late April.

Red-winged Blackbirds have taken a leave. For the 2nd Thursday in a row, we've failed to find a single one (though Matt had some a week ago). My long-term data does show, however, a brief period of time in late August where sightings drop off regularly. Why? Where do Red-winged Blackbirds go in August? They are rock-steady the rest of the year (albeit with a chance that there's a statistically significant dip at Halloween as well).

Conversely, it is very clear that Anna's Hummingbirds have become completely established at Marymoor. Our first sighting was in November of 2003. We've seen them almost every week this year, often multiple birds, with pretty clear evidence of breeding. The only time they seem to be absent from Marymoor now is during the absolute coldest months when the untended hummingbird feeders freeze up. (Marymoor, down in the valley, is often colder than the surrounding hillsides. On many winter mornings, the only place we see frost is at Marymoor)

Anyway, for the day, 57 species.

== Michael

Green Heron in slough near Dog Central

Great Blue Heron from lake platform