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Rarities for Week 43:
Report for October 24, 2024 Birding at Marymoor
Report for October 26, 2023 Birding at Marymoor
Report for October 27, 2022 Birding at Marymoor
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Report for October 28, 2021 Birding at Marymoor
Geez – one bad weather forecast and everybody stays home! It was just me, Matt, and Brian this morning, and the weather wasn’t even that bad. In fact we had over an hour without rain to start the walk, a mix of mizzle and drizzle with occasional clearings after that, very few gusts of wind, and our only real, real rain came just before noon as we were leaving the Rowing Club. Birds were a little hard to come by, but it certainly wasn’t a waste of a morning.
Highlights:
On a quick drive-through after the Rowing Club I spotted ROCK PIGEON and a NORTHERN SHRIKE. A little later I did a late scan of the lake, trying to tie down the species of Aythya ducks (got them to *probably* Greater), but I turned up several other species: Two RIVER OTTERS, two NORTHERN SHOVELER, a WESTERN GREBE,...
... and 35 SWANS! I had to drive around to the other side of the lake to be close enough to identify them. As far as I could tell, they were all TUNDRA SWANS, 3-4 juveniles and the rest adults. This is just the 7th record I have for Tundra Swan at Marymoor (today’s birds would have been easily visible from the Lake Platform).
Misses today included Virginia Rail, Barn Owl, Downy Woodpecker, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Purple Finch, American Goldfinch, Western Meadowlark, and Yellow-rumped Warbler (might have heard 1-2).
By the time we were finished at the Rowing Club, we’d had 52 species. I added 6 more after the walk for a day’s total of 58 species. That’s why I don’t listen to the weather reports.
= Michael Hobbs
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Just a few of the 35 Tundra Swans at the north end of the lake Photos by Michael Hobbs |
Report for October 22, 2020 Birding at Marymoor
We had great weather this morning, and plenty of birds. Days are getting shorter and wetter, so it was really nice to have such a pleasant day before winter sets in.
Highlights:
While we were approaching the weir, we had great looks at several WILSON’S SNIPE, including some who were swimming in shallow water east of the main channel. Then, an adult COOPER’S HAWK came in and struck one of the snipe. I didn’t see the Coop fly in, nor the strike (Jordan may have seen the whole thing). I only heard people shouting that there was a Cooper’s Hawk *in the water*. Sure enough, the Coop stood there in water up to its belly. It was awkwardly standing on something, and would occasionally adjust its grip. A couple of American Crows were down there keeping a close eye on the hawk, and about 10 birders were staring too. The hawk stood there, in the water, for probably two minutes. After the crows left, the Coop hopped onto dry land, with a dead snipe clutched in its talons. A little later, the Coop took off with his prey and flew low out of sight. It had never even occurred to me that Snipe might be a target of a Cooper’s Hawk.
Mark thought he had a distant CALIFORNIA SCRUB-JAY, which proved elusive if so.
For mammals, Matt saw deer near the windmill long before dawn. We had poor views of River Otter and American Beaver swimming the slough. And, of course, we had the usual E.G. Squirrels and E. Cottontails.
Misses today included Gadwall, Western Grebe, Ring-billed and California Gulls, Barn Owl, and Northern Shrike (13 of 26 previous years for this week).
For the day, we had at least 63 species.
= Michael Hobbs |
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Report for October 24, 2019 Birding at Marymoor
Excellent day at Marymoor today – no rain, no wind, not cold. It wasn’t even too cloudy, too foggy, or too sunny. Just about perfect, and quite birdy. Those of us doing the survey did not find Eric’s CATTLE EGRET, but still...
Highlights:
Eric’s CATTLE EGRET is the second report for Marymoor Park that I am aware of. The first report was from November 15, 1994, by Bob Dolphin, as listed (probably in Washington Field Notes) in WOSNews 35. Really excellent to have a second report for the site after almost exactly 25 years.
Last week was notable for the accipiters (at least 5 individuals, many sightings) and Merlin (probably 1 bird, three sightings). Today, we saw none of these. Today, the little birds seemed carefree and visible. Coincidence? I don’t think so...
Misses today included Hooded Merganser, Western Grebe, Cooper’s Hawk, Bushtit, and American Goldfinch.
For the day, we had 62 species – adding Eric’s egret makes 63 species – a really good total, I think.
= Michael Hobbs
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Report for October 25, 2018 Birding at Marymoor
Samhain is only about a week away, and the switch-over to winter birds has definitely begun. Marymoor is a great place to bird at all seasons, and just when we feel the weekly species list is getting short and predictable, the seasons and the birds change over, and we’ve got new excitement. Today’s rain came on in fits and starts, with long clear periods, before the rain started to increase in earnest around 11:30. For most of the morning, it was really quite nice, and with temps in the 50’s-60’s and no wind, we didn’t mind getting damp much.
Highlights:
While this was our first NORTHERN SHRIKE of the year, there was a report from a couple of weeks ago. Today’s bird was quite drab and brownish, and easy to overlook if it hadn’t been calling. For the day, 58 species. With two new birds for the year (Northern Shoveler, Northern Shrike), I think we’re now at 151 or 152 for the year. == Michael Hobbs |
Report for October 26, 2017 Birding at Marymoor
An interesting day today at the park. There was a high, dark overcast without a hint of wind, and temps in the 50’s. The wind eventually picked up, and the overcast began to break up. No precipitation. It was on-and-off birdy – as is typical of fall, we’d go long stretches with nothing, and then come across a tree with eight species or something.
Highlights:
We had several overhead flocks of non-Mallard but otherwise unidentified ducks. This is the earliest confirmed fall sighting for NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL that we’ve had, but the species is fairly newly-known for the park. After the walk, I re-covered some of the same ground hoping to confirm reports of possible Sora – no luck there, but I did hear a VARIED THRUSH from the Lake Platform, found a NORTHERN SHRIKE juvenile in the East Meadow (FOF), and spotted 4 KILLDEER in the NE fields. I also saw a group of 6 SWANS on the lake out from Idylwood Beach Park – five adults and a juvenile. It’s possible our three Trumpeters joined a family of three on the lake. For the day, 60 species. I was out last Sunday leading a field trip for members of the National Audubon Society board. We did an abbreviated loop from the Viewing Mound out to the Lake Platform on a very, very nice mid-morning. We had seven species Sunday that we didn’t have today: SNOW GOOSE (flock of ~20 overhead), WOOD DUCK, GADWALL, AMERICAN WIGEON, EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE, SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, and TOWNSEND'S WARBLER, so our list for this week was 67. Misses for the week include Hooded Merganser, Lincoln’s Sparrow, and White-crowned Sparrow. == Michael Hobbs |
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Trumpeter Swans. Photo by Hugh Jennings |
Trumpeter Swans. Photo by Bob Asanoma |
Cackling Geese. Photo by Hugh Jennings |
Not an owl - but it plays one on TV. Wood lump photographed by Scott Ramos |
Report for October 27, 2016 Birding at Marymoor
We had a very good day at Marymoor today – overcast but with no rain or wind. We managed to find most of the expected birds, with a few misses – Downy & Hairy Woodpeckers and Bushtits.
But, then, any three owl day is an excellent day. Notable:
We also had a loud beaver tail slap in the river before dawn Good Birding! |
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Report for October 22, 2015 Birding at Marymoor
Quite a nice morning, if quiet. The early morning fog made owling difficult but not impossible, and the fog was low, leaving great looks at the trio of Jupiter, Venus, and Mars gleaming in the early morning sky. Once the sun rose, it was partly sunny and really quite pleasant. Unfortunately, much of our trail (from Lake Platform to Viewing Mound) was closed for paving; meaning we had no access to half of the boardwalk, and the entire east side of the trail loop.
Highlights: Horned Grebe In mixed flock with Westerns out on lake We first had a NORTHERN SHRIKE calling incessantly from atop a birch tree across the weir. The repeated call was reminiscent of a towhee call, or maybe a Gray Catbird. It must have called non-stop for at least 15 minutes. Later, we saw probably the same shrike in the Dog Meadow, and later still (and again calling non-stop) from the Viewing Mound. The last sighting was clearly a juvenile; not sure about the first. Some mewing calls pre-dawn from the Viewing Mound may also have been shrike – very unusual to have one vocal. For the day, 56 species, despite missing Bushtit, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and Brown Creeper, and having only 1 gull and 3 species of duck. == Michael Hobbs |
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Report for October 23, 2014 Birding at Marymoor
It was another one of those days that convinces me of the wisdom of going birding despite “the weather”. Yeah, it rained all night, and it was blowing bits of rain from 7:00 until maybe 8:00, but the rest of the morning was actually pretty nice, with only a few sprinkles and showers. As for birds, nothing dramatic, but there are almost always some notable sightings, and today was no exception.
Highlights: Turkey Vulture Two after the walk – latest ever for Marymoor The BARN OWL was out way too late, giving us startlingly good looks in dim daylight. You could see every feather. The crows slept in, but still... Today’s was the first time we’ve noted a pure “YELLOW-SHAFTED” FLICKER at Marymoor! Today we had a female with a tan face, a red crescent on the gray nape, and bright yellow feathers on wings and tail. There were ALSO 1-2 intergrade males with red malars AND red on the nape. A juvenile that was with the YSFL also may have been an intergrade. We’ve noted intergrades a handful of times before, though we don’t usually scrutinize flickers that closely, and we’ve probably missed many. There were quite a few flickers today (10+), so there must have been some kind of passage of them through the park. After the walk, I went back to the East Meadow, trying to scare up either a Savannah Sparrow or a Common Yellowthroat. Savannah’s might still be around, but I couldn’t find any. Common Yellowthroat should be gone by now, but both Sharon and I had independently thought we’d heard a call or two along the East Meadow grassy trail. I couldn’t turn one up on my return however. The two TURKEY VULTURES were my consolation prize; they appeared to the NE and came south across the park. Last week’s 3 TUVUs were the latest fall sightings on record for the park, but they didn’t keep that record long! For the day, we managed 58 species, though it was definitely the kind of day where not everybody sees everything! == Michael Hobbs |
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Report for October 24, 2013 Birding at Marymoor
The fog was like a spell cast over the land to dampen thought and activity. It made the birds quiet and scarce, and made us silly and stupid. We dawdled our way around the park, finding few birds and solving none of the problems facing society. Everyone laughed and was laughed at, yet the level of humor never rose above merely “humorous”, if that. (Okay, Matt did make one joke that was a hare on the funny side). By the end of the day, we were happy simply to have managed to bird the temperature: We had 54 species, while the high temperature topped out at 50 degrees.
Highlights: Bufflehead Two females at lake (1 on Sunday was First of Fall) There were a couple of RIVER OTTERS visible from the Lake Platform. I spent 10 minutes asserting that a particular gull was a California Gull, but Sharon persisted. Upon actual examination, it proved to be perfect for 2nd-winter Mew, and not at all correct for California. So there was even some learning going on. Misses today included Gadwall, Downy Woodpecker, Cedar Waxwing, White-crowned Sparrow, and Purple Finch. As I said, 54 species today. == Michael Hobbs |
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Report for October 25, 2012 Birding at Marymoor
Some days are just stupendous. It was fairly warm (43 degrees predawn, and I think it warmed some), overcast, windless, and even some sun breaks. Good birds were distinctly NOT few and far between. We ended up with a great species total, and it was clear that we missed out on at least a few more.
Highlights: (FOF=First Of Fall) TRUMPETER SWAN(?) 2 flew south, silent. Tundra would be less likely We had a very large flock of geese, distantly seen, that were probably CACKLING GEESE, but it was WAY too far off. Accipiter identification can be difficult, but we had great looks at one bird that was probably a Cooper’s Hawk, but it managed to show such an array of seemingly conflicting features that we left it as either Shooper’s or Carpie. Other accipiters were more easily identifiable as COOPER’S. With the NOHA, RLHA, MERL, COHA, plus BALD EAGLE and RED-TAILED HAWK, we had a 6 raptor day. AMERICAN ROBINS were present in the hundreds. SPOTTED TOWHEES, while much less numerous, were seen notably more than typical. Lots of singing from RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, FOX SPARROW, SONG SPARROW, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, and GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW. We found one LEUCISTIC HOUSE FINCH at the Compost Piles – strikingly ghostly. For the day, 66 species. The combined list for the last 2 weeks: at least 79 species! For the year, we’re up over 150. == Michael Hobbs |
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Two silent swans flying south, probably Trumpeters |
Varied Thrush. Photo by Ollie Oliver |
Male Purple Finch. Photo by Ollie Oliver |
Male Hairy Woodpecker. Photo by Ollie Oliver |
Leucistic House Finch, with House Finch and Golden-crowned Sparrows. |
Leucistic House Finch. Photo by Ollie Oliver |
Leucistic House Finch. Photo by Ollie Oliver |
Lincoln's Sparrow (left) and Savannah Sparrow. Photo by Ollie Oliver |
Female Red-winged Blackbird. Photo by Ollie Oliver |
Dunlin. Photo by Ollie Oliver |
Male Hooded Merganser at the Rowing Club pond. Photo by Ollie Oliver |
Muskrat across from the Rowing Club dock. Photo by Ollie Oliver |
Report for October 27, 2011 Birding at Marymoor
Despite the fog, we had a pretty good day at Marymoor today that featured several notable sightings. Generally things were quiet, but not all the time! |
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American Dipper showing its white nictitating membrane. Photo by Lillian Reis |
American Dipper. Photo by Lillian Reis |
Female Purple Finch. Photo by Ollie Oliver |
Lincoln's Sparrow. Photo by Scott Ramos |
Common Raven with Killdeer. Photo by Ollie Oliver |
Common Raven mobbed by American Crows. Photo by Ollie Oliver |
Mourning Dove in the Community Gardens. Photo by Ollie Oliver |
Scruffy male Evening Grosbeak. Photo by Ollie Oliver |
Bewick's Wren. Photo by Ollie Oliver |
Bewick's Wren. Photo by Ollie Oliver |
River Otter showing its nasty sharp pointed teeth. Photo by Ollie Oliver |
River Otter. Photo by Ollie Oliver |
European Starling, 2011-10-25. Photo by Ollie Oliver |
European Starling, 2011-10-25. Photo by Ollie Oliver |
Killdeer, 2011-10-25. Photo by Ollie Oliver |
Male Hooded Merganser, 2011-10-25. Photo by Ollie Oliver |
First-winter Pied-billed Grebe, 2011-10-25. Photo by Ollie Oliver |
White-throated Sparrow, 2011-10-22. Photo by Ollie Oliver |
Report for October 28, 2010 Birding at Marymoor
It was overcast, and intermittently drizzly this morning, and I have a horrible cold and have no voice today. I almost didn't show up, but I did, and it turned out to be a pretty good day for birds. Most of the time, it was actually quiet, but things kept popping out pretty regularly. |
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Killdeer. Photo by Ollie Oliver |
Merlin. Photo by Ollie Oliver |
Western Grebe, 2010-10-27. Photo by Ollie Oliver |
Western Grebe, 2010-10-27. Photo by Ollie Oliver |
Bewick's Wren, 2010-10-27. Photo by Ollie Oliver |
Savannah Sparrow, 2010-10-27 |
Male Golden-crowned Kinglet, 2010-10-27 |
Female Golden-crowned Kinglet, 2010-10-27 |
Eastern Gray Squirrel, 2010-10-27. Photo by Ollie Oliver |
Garter Snake, 2010-10-27 |
Report for October 22, 2009
It was gorgeous before First Crow this morning. The sky was cloudless and deep, with Venus shining brighter than the gathering dawn to the east. A low ground fog covered the meadows, so I climbed the dirt piles at the north end of the East Meadow and watched and waited. At about 7:10, or maybe just before, a SHORT-EARED OWL worked its way south from the road along the ditch at the east edge of the meadow and then disappeared into the fog. There were a variety of gulls on the grass soccer fields at 7:30. The fog and their jumpiness made viewing difficult. There was one particularly dark large first-winter gull that we think might have been a Western Gull, but distinguishing field marks were not noted. |
See also Marc Hoffmann's photos at http://dartfrogmedia.com/birds/marymoor091022/index.html Nice fall color, even in the fog Bewick's Wren |
Male Purple Finch eating Oregon Ash seeds |
Ruby-crowned Kinget |
Golden-crowned Kinglet |
Adult Northern Shrike east of the East Meadow |
Four of ten Greater White-fronted Geese that were with Canada and Cackling Geese |
Hugh Jennings photo of same. |
Steller's Jay |
Hugh Jennings photo of a Pileated Woodpecker female |
Report for October 23, 2008
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 25, 2007
Michael was out of town, so Matt and I got to substitute for him yesterday. The day may have dawned sunny somewhere else, but not at Marymoor. We had heavy fog in until at least 11 AM, for quite a while you could not see the other side of the river. The last part of the day cleared and was quite pleasant.
The highlight of the day occurred while we were sorting through a group of small birds in the cherry trees near the river. A SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (immature) zoomed in looking for a meal. You have never seen a small group of trees clear out so fast, but a few birds didn't make it. The hawk landed and scanned the branches, then moved to the edge of the trees. We quickly became aware that a BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE was frozen on a branch about 8 feet away from the hawk. The Sharpie was looking in all directions, but didn't seem to see the chickadee. We then became aware that at least 3 other birds were similarly frozen in position - two YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS and another chickadee. We watched for at least 25 minutes, studying the Sharpie minutely from quite close - the bird didn't react to our presence. Finally our original chickadee either moved slightly, or the hawk finally saw it and made a dive toward it. The inexperience of the hawk was evident as the chickadee successfully moved out of the way, and all the other birds departed for the nearby berry patches. The Sharpie and a lone chickadee were the only occupants of the clump when we finally continued our walk. Song was way down, but not absent or we would have had a tough time finding the birds that were present. A good number of SPOTTED TOWHEES and RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS were there. A VIRGINIA RAIL sounded off from a ways below the weir (we couldn't have seen it for the fog if it had been 15 feet away). In spite of the fog we had 5 raptors for the day - a BARN OWL early, an adult and later immature COOPER'S HAWK, the SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, 3 RED-TAILED HAWKS (one being mobbed in the distance by crows), and an adult BALD EAGLE. There were two nice groups of geese on the fields near the cricket pitch - both CANADA and CACKLING GOOSE- intermingled for easy comparison. The Cacklers finally took off and obliged by calling. GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS were either all over Marymoor, or the same flock followed us all morning. Birds of note: Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper's Hawk Wilson's Snipe Barn Owl Orange-crowned Warbler Winter Wren American Pipit Cackling Goose A RIVER OTTER was in the tree patch near the soccer fields - we figured it took a left turn in the fog and was lost. We also saw a RACCOON, a bunny and the usual EASTERN GRAY SQUIRRELS. All in all a good day, and 51 species in spite of the fog. Brian H. Bell, Woodinville WA |
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Bird Sightings Week 43
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