Friends of Marymoor Park

Bird Sightings Week 51
December 17-23*

Rarities for Week 51:

Brant	17-Dec-09	With Cacklers in NE corner, 02-Dec, 03-Dec, 17-Dec
Redhead	19-Dec-12	Female, identified only in the photo from Ollie below
California Scrub-Jay	22-Dec-11	Seen by Sharon Aagaard and Scott Ramos
Common Redpoll	23-Dec-21	About 10 with Pine Siskins along slough just before south gate 1-2 more SE edge of East Meadow. Sightings 12/18-12/21 on eBird
Long-toed Salamander	19-Dec-13	Grace & Ollie Oliver, ph.

Report for December 21, 2023 Birding at Marymoor

Our Solstice Edition survey was beset by F O G. It varied between thick and thicker; at times we couldn't really see across the slough. Otherwise it was warm and windless and quite pleasant. It was birdy at times, but we ended with a lot of Misses. Highlights Greater White-fronted Geese - Three, first seen well below the weir in the slough Cackling Goose - Probably 2000 that flew in, with half of them landing Lesser Scaup - Pretty much the only duck visible from the Lake Platform. First in a couple of months Anna's Hummingbird - Two males, including one singing. First in nearly a couple of months Western Screech-Owl - One heard briefly predawn. First since October White-throated Sparrow - Near the Dog Area portapotties American Robins and American Crows were especially numerous. Misses today included Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, Short-billed Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Cooper's Hawk, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Shrike, Steller's Jay, Pine Siskin, American Goldfinch, and Lincoln's Sparrow. Despite the long list of Misses, we still managed 49 species. We have one more survey in 2023. We have been a bit unlucky this year, and our species total will be quite a bit lower than usual. Several of our "missing" species were seen by others on days other than Thursdays, but even so, the park has been short on semi-rarities and rarities this year. = Michael Hobbs
Sunrise. Photo by Tony Ernst	A very small part of the Cackling Goose flock. Photo by Michael Hobbs
Male Red-winged Blackbird. Photo by Tony Ernst	Female Belted Kingfisher. Photo by Tony Ernst

Report for December 22, 2022 Birding at Marymoor

IT WAS COLD. Temperatures, as measured, ranged from 18-23 degrees F. But there was often a breeze which just cut through us sometimes. I'm afraid there were times when we walked a little faster than normal. It was beautifully sunny for part of the morning, though. The slough below the weir was absolutely filled with geese, ducks, and snipe. We had 12 species of waterfowl, plus Killdeer, Wilson's Snipe, Double-crested Cormorant, and American Coot, all in that zone below the weir!

Highlights:

Wood Duck - three or four
Northern Shoveler - at least one
Gadwall, American Wigeon, Mallard, and Green-winged Teal - all very numerous below the weir
Hooded Merganser - at least two below the weir, and a flock of 15 in the slough above the weir
WILSON'S SNIPE - about 15 below the weir! Way more than usual
MERLIN - two sightings, with great looks while we were counting the ducks below the weir
Northern Shrike - One briefly seen in the East Meadow
Varied Thrush - A half-dozen or more around the mansion

Last Saturday morning, I worked the Marymoor sector of the Eastside Audubon CBC. The weather was less cold, but also less pleasant than today. It definitely decreased numbers for the morning. But we did have nine species Saturday that we did not have today: Rock Pigeon, Virginia Rail, Ring-billed Gull, Red-tailed Hawk, Belted Kingfisher, Pileated Woodpecker, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, and just the eighth Savannah Sparrow ever for December.

Misses for the week: Short-billed Gull, Hairy Woodpecker, Bushtit, Pine Siskin, and Lincoln's Sparrow.

For the day, 49 species, the same number of species as on Saturday. For the week, though, 58 species.

= Michael Hobbs

Hooded Mergansers in the slough. Photo by Michael Hobbs

Spotted Towhee eating a frozen apple. Photo by Michael Hobbs

Report for December 23, 2021 Birding at Marymoor

Our first post-solstice walk was rather quiet, but not completely without highlights. The weather was breezier than we would have liked, but temps were in the low 40’s and there was very minimal precipitation. We had no really large flocks of geese and very few gulls. Numbers for most species seemed low.

Highlights:

Snow Goose – Flock of 18-20 flew over the lake platform
Cooper’s Hawk – One flying the west edge of the Dog Area caused much excitement amongst American Robins and American Crows
Merlin – One perched just north of the boardwalk
COMMON REDPOLL – Maybe a dozen, mixed with Pine Siskins, in a tree along the slough about 20 yards north of the southern gate of the Dog Area. One or two calling east of the East Meadow
White-throated Sparrow – One with large flock of Golden and White-crowned Sparrows, NW part of the Dog Area
White-crowned Sparrow – Maybe 30, much more common than in recent weeks

A late scan of the lake turned up two LESSER SCAUP and a HORNED GREBE.

Last Saturday was the Eastside Audubon CBC, and Brian and I covered Marymoor Park. We had over 20 COMMON REDPOLL just south of the Dog Area, plus seven species we didn’t have for today: WOOD DUCK, WILSON’S SNIPE, SHORT-BILLED GULL, RING-BILLED GULL, DOWNY WOODPECKER, HAIRY WOODPECKER, and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH.

Other misses today included Bushtit, Purple Finch, American Goldfinch, and Lincoln’s Sparrow.

For the day, 51 species. For the week, 58.

= Michael Hobbs

Report for December 20, 2018 Birding at Marymoor

It was a pretty awful day, with plenty of dark windy wetness. Only a small group of us were there to suffer through one of the quietest days of the year.

In anticipation of the days getting longer very, very soon now, I heard 2 PACIFIC WRENS, several SONG SPARROWS, at least one GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW, and a BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE singing today. I enjoyed their optimism, especially the PACIFIC WREN singing repeatedly at 6:30 a.m., in the pitch darkness, in the rain, down near the Rowing Club dock.

Other highlights:

Cackling Goose – down from 2000 in some recent weeks to perhaps as low as 5 birds today
Wood Duck – three at Rowing Club pond
American Wigeon – one flock overhead for sure, maybe several others
Green Heron – *heard only* at Rowing Club pond
Sharp-shinned Hawk – juvenile Hairy Woodpecker – at least 1
PEREGRINE FALCON – juvenile landed west of slough – tried hard to turn it into a Prairie, but no luck there :)
Western Meadowlark – Eric had 6-10 near the Viewing Mound. We were beset by awful weather when we arrived, and had none

Misses today included Ring-necked Duck, Common Merganser (one likely candidate could not be confirmed), Wilson’s Snipe, Ring-billed Gull, Cooper’s Hawk, Brown Creeper, Purple Finch, and Red-winged Blackbird.

With that many misses, it’s no surprise that our species tally for the day was just 50.

== Michael Hobbs

Juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk. Photo by Bob Asanoma

Hooded Merganser pair. Photo by Bob Asanoma

Report for December 21, 2017 Birding at Marymoor

We had a cold and foggy morning, though eventually the fog lifted exposing a thin overcast, and the temperature got above freezing. A complete lack of wind let us keep tolerably warm, though. But it was pretty quiet, and the fog limited sightings. Still, not a bad day. Highlights: Greater White-fronted Goose – 1 adult, NOT with the huge flock of Cacklers Cackling Goose – about 1000 on mowed grass soccer fields Wood Duck – pair at small Rowing Club pond Lesser Scaup – at least 4 from Lake Platform Hooded Merganser – at least 10 Western Grebe – three from Lake Platform Lincoln’s Sparrow – two from Viewing Mound in blackberries “Slate-colored” Junco – one male at Pea Patch Western Meadowlark – two near Viewing Mound We also saw two RIVER OTTERS from the Lake Platform – they were out on the long dock Misses today included Ring-necked Duck, Anna’s Hummingbird, Ring-billed Gull, Northern Shrike, Bushtit, Pine Siskin, and American Goldfinch. For the day, 55 species. == Michael Hobbs	Male Belted Kingfisher. Photo by Hugh Jennings
Buffleheads. Photo by Hugh Jennings
Western Meadowlarks. Photo by Hugh Jennings	Cackling Geese. Photo by Bob Asanoma
"Slate-colored" (bottom) and "Oregon" Dark-eyed Juncos. Photo by Hugh Jennings	Hooded Mergansers. Photo by Bob Asanoma
The beavers have been very busy. Photo by Hugh Jennings	Frosted spider web. Photo by Hugh Jennings

Report for December 22, 2016 Birding at Marymoor

The thermometer said it was much warmer than in recent days – 31 degrees and up – but it felt cold, due to high humidity and a slight breeze. The clouds formed a beautifully rumpled blanket overhead, and that eventually led to a few drops of rain. Mostly, though, the weather wasn’t too, too bad. It mostly didn’t feel very birdy, though. Highlights: Gr. Wh.-fronted Goose 1 with ~650 Cackling Geese - 8 species of duck - Western Grebe Seen 13 of the last 14 weeks; unusually common GREEN HERON One on near side of slough, just north of Dog Central Barn Owl One near windmill, 6:15 a.m. PEREGRINE FALCON One flew over Lot D around 11:30 Northern Shrike Nice adult, East Meadow today Western Meadowlark ~12 between Compost Piles and model airplane field PINE SISKIN About 30. First since early September! For the day, we managed 58 species, though many of those were not seen by more than a couple of people. == Michael Hobbs	Female Common Goldeneye, just up from a dive. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Rounded head (in all views), large curved bill, point to GREATER Scaup. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Nail on the end of the bill looks fairly (but not totally) small, which might point to LESSER Scaup. Same bird. I believe it was a Greater. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Male Belted Kingfisher. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Male Downy Woodpecker. Photo by Hugh Jennings
Male Purple Finch eating Oregon Ash seeds. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Female House Finch. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Adult Greater White-fronted Goose. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Greate White-fronted Goose (rear). Photo by Hugh Jennings
Male Anna's Hummingbird. Photo by Ollie Oliver	"Slate-colored" Dark-eyed Junco, 2016-12-21. Photo by Ollie Oliver
"Audubon's" Yellow-rumped Warbler, 2016-12-21. Photo by Ollie Oliver	"Audubon's" Yellow-rumped Warbler, 2016-12-21. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Male Green-winged Teal, 2016-12-21. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Female Northern Shoveler, 2016-12-21. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Chestnut-backed Chickadee, 2016-12-21. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Chestnut-backed Chickadee with Douglas Fir seed, 2016-12-21. Photo by Ollie Oliver

Report for December 17, 2015 Birding at Marymoor

It was just nasty out there this morning. Moderately hard rain wouldn’t have been too bad, but throw in gusty winds and it became a dark, cold, wet, uncomfortable morning. My fingers are still cold. Highlights: Northern Pintail Flyby of a flock. Pintail aren’t common at Marymoor Green-winged Teal Three at Rowing Club. Only fifth sighting this fall Greater Scaup 1 female in the slough. Only 3rd sighting this fall Common Goldeneye 1 in slough. Only 3rd sighting this fall Green Heron Juvenile at Rowing Club pond again NORTHERN HARRIER One flew over Pea Patch. 2nd sighting this fall We also had a RIVER OTTER in the slough just above the weir. Getting 9 species of duck helped the count for the day, so amazingly, we ended with 44 species, only 1 less than last week. But our species count belies the low number of birds, as 18 species were represented by single birds, and another 12 species had fewer than 4 birds noted. So those 30 species comprised only about 50 birds. We’ll be back on the 24th hoping for better weather. == Michael Hobbs	The intrepid crew looked everywhere for birds. Photo by Bob Asanoma
Probably our best look at a Spotted Towhee. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Wind-blown Dark-eyed Junco. Photo by Hugh Jennings
Even the Hooded Merganser looked wet. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Common Goldeneye. Photo by Ollie Oliver
The Green Heron spotted Ollie...	...and RAN AWAY. It was that kind of day. Photo by Ollie Oliver

Report for December 18, 2014 Birding at Marymoor

We had a fine morning, since the rain held off until noon and even then started out just as very light rain. Unlike many such mornings, it didn’t feel like rain was imminent. The sun frequently poked its way through the overcast, and while I don’t think we ever saw our shadows, there was at least yellowish light. Temps were in the 40’s, with no wind, so it was quite pleasant. It was pretty birdy, too, with several surprises. Highlights: Greater White-fronted Goose At least 4 with a large flock of Cacklers Northern Pintail Male in slough below weir, more as flybys Horned Grebe Two visible well out from Lake Platform GREEN HERON West shore, from Lake Platform. 1st since Sept. Cooper’s Hawk Two juveniles, 1 mobbed by crows Belted Kingfisher A female has been at RC ponds this Dec. PEREGRINE FALCON Stooped on flying Mew Gulls Northern Shrike Juvenile north of Fields 7-8-9 BARN SWALLOW 1-2 flying around south of Dog Meadow American Goldfinch 1 at Compost Piles; scarce this winter Just before 8:00 a.m., the MEW GULLS that often gather on the grass soccer fields were up in the air, swirling back towards the lake with energy. They’d been notably active already. Then we noticed a PEREGRINE FALCON streaking south. It came in high, then folded its wings and arrowed towards the gyre of gulls, flaring its wings when it neared, but failing to nab any gull. It then dropped down on some gulls lower down, but I believe it again came up empty. Later, we saw the Peregrine flying towards the lake as we walked the boardwalk. There were probably 200 gulls total that we saw today, but they were unsurprisingly jumpy, and we never had an opportunity to see them on the ground except from extreme distance, so we were not able to sort through them for Ring-billed or California. Clearly, the vast majority were Mews, as we could hear their calls, and we scanned many birds that flew overhead. As for BARN SWALLOWS, this is just the 4th winter sighting at Marymoor, with all of those sightings coming in December. We’ve had one sighting from the first week in November, but all other sightings are limited to mid-March through mid-October. For the day, 58 species. Next week, we do the walk on Christmas Eve, instead of Christmas. == Michael Hobbs	Male Northern Pintail with Mallards in the slough below the weir. Photo by Ollie Oliver Male Green-winged Teal. Photo by Hugh Jennings
Green Heron from Lake Platform. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Red-tailed Hawk. Photo by Ollie Oliver
American Robin. Photo by Ollie Oliver	American Robin. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Pied-billed Grebe. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Pied-billed Grebe. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Male Green-winged Teal in the small pond at the Rowing Club. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Michael found this Honey Bee looking cold an inactive on the pavement, and let it climb up and warm itself on his Little Hotties hand warmer for several minutes. It was then able to take flight. Photo by Ollie Oliver

Report for December 19, 2013 Birding at Marymoor

It was a gorgeous morning (sunrise was spectacular) and quite frosty; 24 degrees to start, and it only warmed up to about 33 by noon. Thin overcast drifted in late in the morning. Very nice all around, but quite cold, and not tremendously birdy. Highlights: Cackling Goose Flock of about 650, but no White-fronted Geese REDHEAD Female, not noted in field, but ID'd from photo below Virginia Rail Responded from lake platform BARN OWL Matt had one quite early, East Meadow SHORT-EARED OWL East Meadow, around 7 or 7:15 Hairy Woodpecker Pair at Rowing Club parking lot MERLIN One in mansion area Northern Shrike One north of fields 7-8-9 The female REDHEAD was only our 5th sighting of that species ever at Marymoor. The previous Redhead sighting was way back in 2002! We also had a duck which thought might be a RING-NECKED DUCK x GREATER SCAUP SP. hybrid, due to the extensive nature of white on face at the base of the bill. However, on further investigation, we decided it was probably simply a female RNDU at the extreme end for coloration. Possibly the best highlight of the day wasn’t a bird at all. A NORTHWESTERN SALAMANDER was crossing the path at the Rowing Club. I don’t recall ever seeing a salamander at Marymoor. Coincidentally, we had a Long-toed Salamander last Saturday at Red Brick Marsh in NE Redmond. We eked out 50 species for the day. == Michael Hobbs	Male Hooded Merganser. Photo by Ollie Oliver Male Common Goldeneye. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Male Ring-necked Duck and female Common Goldeneye. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Female Redhead. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Female Ring-necked Duck with a lot of white on the face. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Female Ring-necked Duck with a lot of white on the face. Photo by Ollie Oliver
American Coots. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Pacific Wren. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Female Hairy Woodpecker. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Long-toed Salamander at the Rowing Club. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Cackling Geese, 2013-12-14. Photo by Lillian Reis	Cackling Goose X5@ Banded near Kasiglook, AK 7/17/13. Hatched in 2012 or earlier.
Cedar Waxwing, 2013-12-14. Photo by Lillian Reis	Juvenile Cooper's Hawk, 2013-12-14. Photo by Lillian Reis

Report for December 20, 2012 Birding at Marymoor

It was WET. Steady, hard rain until 11:00 a.m., when the wind briefly blew the rain away. Quite soon, however, the rain regained its strength despite the wind. It was WET. Though the thermometer said it was a balmy 41 degrees, try telling that to my hands. Oh, and it was WET. Highlights: BARN SWALLOW - 3 SE of East Meadow – probably the same ones seen on Saturday on the Eastside Audubon CBC. We’ve never had any swallows at Marymoor in the winter before (Dec-Feb). BROWN CREEPER - Singing! A couple of Bewick’s Wrens also sang, but they might have been triggered by the sound of an iPod playing Pacific Wren RED CROSSBILL - Heard at 8:00 a.m. near mansion COOL FUNGI - Growing on the deceased Camperdown Elm next to the windmill, at least 3 species For the day, the eight Intrepid Birders found 48 species. == Michael Hobbs	It was so wet, many people stopped trying to use binoculars. Photo by Hugh Jennings
Three Barn Swallows taking a rest. Photo by Hugh Jennings	Barn Swallows taking a rest. Photo by Hugh Jennings
Bewick's Wren, 2012-12-18. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Great Blue Heron, 2012-12-18. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Song Sparrow, 2012-12-18. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Pine Siskins, 2012-12-18. Photo by Ollie Oliver

Report for December 22, 2011 Birding at Marymoor

(Michael was in Florida) Marymoor started out cold (26F) and foggy, but quickly burned off and the rest of the day was quite nice and sunny. The best bird of the day was a WESTERN SCRUB-JAY - the second record for the park (Michael didn't see the first one either). This could have been better as only two of our group saw the bird. Birds of the day: Western Scrub-jay Greater White-fronted Goose 1 with 600 Cackling Geese Brown Creeper 4 birds Purple Finch (including 4 bright males) Pileated Woodpecker Northern Shrike (in East Meadow for a change) Red-tailed Hawks 4 or 5 We wound up with 55 species, nice for a cold December day. Brian H. Bell Woodinville Wa	Adult Bald Eagle. Photo by Hugh Jennings
Golden-crowned Sparrows. Photo by Hugh Jennings	Male Scaup with male Bufflehead. Photo by Hugh Jennings
Male Purple Finch. Photo by Hugh Jennings	Wilson's Snipe at the Rowing Club pond, 2011-12-19. Photo by Ollie Oliver

Report for December 23, 2010 Birding at Marymoor

Several of us braved the cloudy morning, with only a little rain late at Marymoor today. Michael was not with us (in Toronto). We had the Barn Owl in the East Meadow for the first time in two weeks. Also early, was a distant heard Great Horned Owl. The water levels are down considerably from last week, and we were able to do the complete loop. Notable birds: Barn Owl Great Horned Owl Heard off to the southeast early Cooper's Hawk Blasted through out at the lake Cackling Goose About 650 on the soccer fields Greater White-fronted Goose 2 with the Cacklers Northern Shrike Immature in East Meadow Western Gull 1 adult Yellow-rumped Warbler Nice flock, probably all Audubon's Otherwise, all the regulars for this time of year. 54 species Brian H. Bell, Woodinville, WA	Buffleheads in the slough. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Song Sparrow. Photo by Ollie Oliver, 2010-12-22	Flooding at the lake platform, 2010-12-22. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Yellow-rumped Warbler, 2010-12-17. Photo by Lillian Reis	Greater White-fronted Geese, 2010-12-17. Photo by Lillian Reis
Golden-crowned Sparrow. 2010-12-22. Photo by Lillian Reis	Golden-crowned Kinglet, 2010-12-19. Photo by Lillian Reis

Report for December 17, 2009

What a nice morning. It wasn't too cold, and it was sunny for part of the time. No wind, though that left us with a small amount of fog. Nothing too serious. The birds sure were out, to make for a really good day for December. We saw just about everything one might expect to see, plus a few others. Highlights: BRANT Again, 1 with a large flock of Cacklers Northern Pintail Some flying, some on lake ducks, generally Nine species total, pretty good diversity MERLIN Third week in a row. Chased by a crow. Barn Owl Scott had one early at the windmill Hairy Woodpecker One in East Meadow Northern Shrike Adult in East Meadow Varied Thrush Male at start of boardwalk Cedar Waxwing Maybe 40 total - very active Y.-rumped Warbler Two or three - scarce in December Fox Sparrow LOTS - 20+ For the day, 61 species. == Michael	Golden-crowned Sparrow, photo by Hugh Jennings
Two male Ring-necked Ducks, showing different plumages. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Female and male Purple Finch. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Male Spotted Towhee (top) and Golden-crowned Sparrow. Photo by Ollie.	Fox Sparrow photo by Ollie Oliver
Golden-crowned Kinglet photo by Ollie Oliver	Another great shot by Ollie
Varied Thrush near the start of the boardwalk	Northern Shrike in the East Meadow
The Merlin landed for just a moment in Snag Row before crows chased it off	Double-crested Cormorant photo by Lillian Reis
Bewick's Wren photo by Lillian Reis	Cedar Waxwing photo by Lillian Reis
Lillian Reis photographed three (of four) River Otters in the slough on 2009-12-18...	...and an Opossum in the Pea Patch

Report for December 18, 2008

There was six inches of snow when we started, and more falling (about another 2" during the count). The roads were treacherous. I was surprised I wasn't birding alone. But Brian Bell managed to make it down from Woodinville, and Ollie walked down from his house. A beautiful morning, snowing most of the time, and only windy at the end. Birdy too. While the little birds were hard to come by, those we saw gave us great, close looks. Waterfowl numbers were way up, probably because everything else is frozen. Highlights: A four-goose day, with CANADAs being outnumbered perhaps 5-1 by CACKLERS. We had one SNOW GOOSE and one or two GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE. Twelve species of duck, including First-of-the-winter NORTHERN PINTAIL and GREATER SCAUP (one female each). We had 20 KILLDEER fly overhead, which seemed surprising in the winter, plus a couple of WILSON'S SNIPE. Brian had a RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER. The NORTHERN SHRIKE was hunting in the East Meadow. It chased off a WESTERN MEADOWLARK there. Two or more AMERICAN PIPITS flew over the East Meadow. This is our first-ever December sighting for that species. Two gorgeous male PURPLE FINCHES fed at about eye-level for us. FOX SPARROWS and SPOTTED TOWHEES were especially prevalent and visible. Ollie walked through the mansion area on his way home after Brian and I left. We all skipped the Rowing Club. So it was an abbreviated visit. Still, we managed 52 species! == Michael	View towards the mansion Gadwall with snowy backs
Male Spotted Towhee	Towhees and Fox Sparrows were especially conspicuous on the snowy day
Western Meadowlark in a shrub in the East Meadow	This Northern Shrike displaced the meadowlark moments later
Just south of Dog Central	Ollie's photo of the windmill
Ollie's photos of Wilson's Snipe, 2008/12/20	The snipe were below the weir
Ollie's photos of a flock of Snow Geese, 2008/12/20	Okay I've never had a flock of them at Marymoor - a special find

Report for December 20, 2007

There were a bunch of us (more than 15), and we enjoyed a very birdy hour-and-a-half of sunshine early on (which Ollie referred to as the "eye of the drizzle"). After that it clouded up and got breezy and colder, but didn't rain despite the clouds. Highlights: Hairy Woodpecker Good long look near boardwalk NORTHERN SHRIKE Juvenile seen from Compost Piles Lincoln's Sparrow Saw 2-4 at Compost Piles Purple Finch Several great looks Western Meadowlark 1 near R/C club early I was too tired from the Cle Elum CBC to really get excited about much, but it was a pretty good day. We had 56 species. == Michael	A cooperative Purple Finch at the 2nd dog swim beach
Western Meadowlark north of the model airplane field, just before 8:00 a.m.	Pine Siskin (right) and male Purple Finch
Male Hairy Woodpecker just before the start of the boardwalk	Golden-crowned Sparrow
Alexia and her friends dissect an owl pellet NE of the mansion	Some of the bones are laid out in the lower left.