Friends of Marymoor Park

Bird Sightings Week 52
December 24-30*

Rarities for Week 52:

Bohemian Waxwing	30-Dec-21	One lone bird with starlings and blackbirds below the weir
Common Redpoll	30-Dec-21	Peter Zika photo

Report for December 28, 2023 Birding at Marymoor

The rain was minimal, just a moderate amount of mizzle and occasional and very brief bursts of drizzle, and all that let up about half-way through the walk. Temps were, again, unseasonably warm (45-55 degrees!) It was pretty birdy early on, but then we faced long stretches of nothing much.

Highlights:

Greater White-fronted Goose - Three below the weir, possibly the same birds as last week
Cackling Goose - A couple of dozen vs. a couple of thousand last week
American Wigeon - Four far below the weir
Cooper's Hawk - One at the Pea Patch, mobbed by crows. A second sighting, probably a 2nd bird, high above the windmill
Hairy Woodpecker - One
Bushtit - Only one >!<
Varied Thrush - One heard across the slough from the Lake Platform

So, overall a pretty quiet day except for the waterfowl - three species of goose and nine species of duck, total

Misses today were limited to just Lincoln's Sparrow, a species that has declined in occurrence notably in the last few years, but which has barely declined in abundance - that is to say, we used to get one or two and now often get none.

For the day, a not-too-bad 54 species.

Happy New Year everyone

= Michael Hobbs

Female Common Merganser. Photo by Tony Ernst

Adult Bald Eagle. Photo by Tony Ernst

Report for December 29, 2022 Birding at Marymoor

As is often the case, the forecast for RAIN ALL DAY proved to be completely off the mark. It was a very pleasant day, with only a scattering of drops now and then (never got near to drizzle). Neither cold nor windy, and mostly with pretty good light, so a great December day to be out. The boardwalk has a couple of inches of water over it and it is officially closed for now.

Not necessarily a great day to be birding, though, as there were LONG stretches of quiet. But we did have a few good sightings. The dozen+ of us had a good time, I think.

Highlights:

Cackling Goose - Skein after skein flying high overhead, but none landed
Horned Grebe - I saw one at the lake, but it swam around the point out of sight almost immediately
Wilson's Snipe - Only one along the edge of the slough where last week we had 15+, but it gave us great looks
Great Horned Owl - I saw one pre-dawn in the trees along the slough just south of the gate from the Dog Area
Pileated Woodpecker - At least two birds, with some close looks
Northern Shrike - Adult north of Fields 7-8-9
Bushtit - I *heard* a flock in the East Meadow pre-dawn, our first in almost two months!
Varied Thrush - Two or three at the Rowing Club parking lot
American Robin - Hundreds
White-throated Sparrow - One between slough trail and Dog Meadow with many other sparrows
Savannah Sparrow - One or two along the west edge of the East Meadow

We had a very nice mixed flock in the grove with the apple trees, east of the 2nd Dog Swim Beach. Three species of Zonotrichia sparrows, including the WHITE-THROATED, plus Song and Fox Sparrows, Dark-eyed Junco, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Brown Creeper, Bewick's Wren, Downy and Pileated Woodpecker, and probably more.

A riot of five RIVER OTTERS was in the slough, and COYOTES howled along with the fire truck siren.

Finches were almost completely AWOL; we had a few very small groups of flying finches, and heard a very few faint calls. HOUSE FINCH was definitely heard, American Goldfinch might possibly have been heard, but not a single finch was seen perched nor heard well.

Misses today included Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Ring-billed Gull (though we had at least 75 unidentified flying gulls), Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Pine Siskin, American Goldfinch, and Lincoln's Sparrow.

For the day, though, 53 species.

= Michael Hobbs

Report for December 30, 2021 Birding at Marymoor

Our last walk of the year really wasn’t too bad, though 2-4” of fresh snow did make getting there a bit tricky this morning. Ken and I had a rain/snow showers during our entirely unsuccessful owling, but once we got to the slough on the main survey the day turned out to be pretty good. Essentially no precipitation, a little bit of melting, large numbers of waterfowl, and some good birds made for a fine end to 2021.

Highlights:

Trumpeter Swan – a flock of 8 flew past the Lake Platform heading north
Eleven species of duck – including about 8 NORTHERN SHOVELER
Killdeer – about 10 close in along the slough downstream of the weir
Wilson’s Snipe – at least 7 giving us great looks downstream of the weir
Cooper’s Hawk – several sightings
Red-breasted Sapsucker – one in a fir, NW corner of Dog Area
Pileated Woodpecker – Todd heard one west of the slough
Merlin – several sightings
American Crow – about 400 just before sunrise coming off of night roosts
BOHEMIAN WAXWING – one, without any other waxwings, across the slough with starlings and Red-winged Blackbirds. With Todd’s scope we were able to get clear views of the brick-colored vent and other features
Cedar Waxwing – one, without any other waxwings, alone east of the Pea Patch
AMERICAN PIPIT – at least two along the near edge of the slough below the weir
American Goldfinch – flock of about 20 across the slough, our first in six weeks
Spotted Towhee – 18+ – easy to find and see with the snow
Fox Sparrow – more than 20 – also easy to find and see with the snow
Lincoln’s Sparrow – one along near edge of the slough, below the weir, our first in six weeks

We also had three RIVER OTTERS in the slough.

With today’s MERLIN sighting, we have recorded Merlin on 26 weeks out of 52 for 2021! (Might all be the same bird Smile

)

Misses today included Cackling Goose, Anna’s Hummingbird, Mew Gull, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Marsh Wren, and Purple Finch.

For the day, 56 species.

For 2021, we had 162 species, which I believe is our highest-ever total. There are at least an additional 6 species for the park for 2021 based on documented eBird reports. The biggest miss for 2021 was Ruddy Duck.

= Michael Hobbs

Report for December 27, 2018 Birding at Marymoor

The weather was as good as could be hoped for today, with zero precipitation from the 7:00 am – noon (but with some wet immediately before and some immediately after), no wind, thin enough overcast for pretty good seeing, and not *too* cold (37-43). It was fairly birdy too, though unsurprisingly there weren’t any surprises amongst the species seen. Still, it was a great walk and we had some good stuff, even enjoying things like a bathing GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET with his crest up full.

Highlights:

Virginia Rail – responded to clapping at the crook in the boardwalk
Killdeer – I counted 40 on Fields 7-8-9, and certainly missed some amongst the more numerous mole hills
Mew Gull – a couple hundred on grass soccer fields; ALL Mews except for a couple of Glaucous-winged Gulls
Downy Woodpecker – somewhere around 5 birds
Hairy Woodpecker – several sightings, both male and female seen
Northern Flicker – possibly into double-digits
Pileated Woodpecker – two males at Rowing Club
Northern Shrike – adult between Compost Piles and model airplane field again
Pine Siskin – biggest flock yet for this winter
Western Meadowlark – 8 in Dog Meadow

Best sighting was probably the 5 RIVER OTTERS in the slough just below the southernmost dog swimming beach, eating fish. One was later in the Rowing Club pond.

Only 8 species of geese and ducks, and low numbers of most of those. Misses included Ring-necked Duck, Ring-billed Gull, Lincoln’s Sparrow, and Red-winged Blackbird.

Singing birds included Anna’s Hummingbird (singing and displaying), Black-capped Chickadee, Pacific Wren, Song Sparrow, and Golden-crowned Sparrow. Some of the Mallards were doing head bobbing.

And for the day, we managed to find a respectable 53 species.

== Michael Hobbs == \

American Crow. Photo by Hugh Jennings

Male Belted Kingfisher. Photo by Jordan Roderick

Brown Creeper. Photo by Hugh Jennings

Double-crested Cormorants. Photo by Hugh Jennings

River Otters. Photo by Jordan Roderick

Report for December 28, 2017 Birding at Marymoor

It was warm and damp, but we didn’t get more than a little mizzle today, despite a threatening overcast. There was a bit of breeze that cleared the fog. It was not very birdy, and I felt quite a sense of accomplishment that we found as many species as we did.

Highlights:

Greater White-fronted Goose – our lone adult seems to show up every week
Cackling Goose – maybe 800, seemingly all “minimas”
Greater Scaup – a handful, maybe with a Lesser or two
Killdeer – around 25 – unusual for Marymoor this time of year
Green Heron – found on the beaver lodge AGAIN
Hairy Woodpecker – female across from Rowing Club dock
CEDAR WAXWING – seven near East Kiosk – uncommon at best in Dec. at Marymoor
Pine Siskin – three at Rowing Club; only 2nd sighting in the last 5 weeks

Matt heard NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL and WESTERN SCREECH-OWL predawn, and saw a GREAT HORNED OWL as well. BARN OWL (2?) were seen from the Viewing Mound after 7am

For they day, on our last regular visit of 2017, we had 55 species.

== Michael Hobbs

Green-winged Teal in the slough below the weir. Photo by Hugh Jennings

Great Blue Heron. Photo by Hugh Jennings

Male Gadwall. Photo by Hugh Jennings

Green Heron on beaver lodge - easy to overlook. Photo by Hugh Jennings

Hooded Merganser pair. Photo by Hugh Jennings

Report for December 27, 2016 Birding at Marymoor

Our last official survey for 2016 was pretty uneventful after a bang of a start. The day was relatively warm (up to the low 40’s) and the rain held off except for a few drops near the end. It even, eventually, got light enough to see. Eventually. Before our 8:00 a.m. official meetup, those of us at the Viewing Mound had good (if distant) looks at a BARN OWL, mostly over the model airplane field, but briefly closer. It was still flying around after 7:30. Then, as we gathered to start on the main walk, Jordan spotted a SHORT-EARED OWL flying high over the grass soccer fields. It made a circle or two up there, remaining quite high but still giving us good looks. Other highlights: Ring-necked Duck Female in slough far below weir – First of Fall Lesser Scaup Female with a female GREATER SCAUP in slough Western Grebe One WAY out on the lake Green Heron Sitting on the beaver lodge again Bald Eagle Juvenile(s) as well as our resident pair Cooper’s Hawk Caught a junco in the Pea Patch Northern Shrike North of fields 7-8-9 Brown Creeper At least a couple Western Meadowlark ~12 between Viewing Mound & model airplane field Purple Finch Some really good looks Misses today included identifiable gulls besides Glaucous-winged, Steller’s Jay, Bushtit, and Pine Siskin. For the day, 54 species. == Michael Hobbs	Short-eared Owl doing lazy circles high overhead at 8 a.m.. Photos by Ollie Oliver
Arguments about whether these were Greater or Lesser Scaup can finally be answered: One of each. The Lesser Scaup (foreground) has a small, narrow "nail" on the end of the bill. The Greater Scaup has a large, wide nail. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Here, the subtle differences in head shape can be seen, with the Greater Scaup (right) having the highest point of the head over the eye with gentle rounding behind. The eye of the Lesser Scaup is even further forward on the face too. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Common Goldeneye male. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Common Goldeneye female. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Green Heron on the beaver lodge. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Western Grebe far out on the lake. Photo by Ollie Oliver

Report for December 24, 2015 Birding at Marymoor

Oh what difference the weather makes. Today was really quite pleasant out, for while still gray, there was little wind, no rain, some warmth, no fog. And there were birds! (Though only seven birders) Highlights: Nine species of duck Including 1 N. Shoveler, several Am. Wigeon Pied-billed Grebe Maybe 40 on the lake, most in a tight clump! Green Heron Juvenile at Rowing Club pond again Virginia Rail One heard east of East Meadow, near Wilson’s Snipes HERRING GULL First time I’ve ID’d one in flight Barn Owl Sharon had sightings at 6:45 and maybe 7:15 Pileated Woodpecker Two around mansion and heading towards lake Northern Shrike Juvenile again north of fields 7-8-9 HUTTON’S VIREO One or maybe two east of the ponds at Rowing Club Cedar Waxwing Our 9th-ever Dec. sighting, 1 bird SE of East Meadow Lincoln’s Sparrow 1st bird I saw, before sunrise, Viewing Mound Western Meadowlark 1-2 birds, waaay over at model airplane field Purple Finch 1 near Dog Area portapotties We also had a close look at a healthy-looking COYOTE near the concert stage just after 8. For the day, 56 species, or 12 more than last week. We’ll close out 2015 starting at 8:00 a.m New Years Eve == Michael Hobbs	Female Common Mergansers in the slough near the weir. Photo by Hugh Jennings
Male Bufflehead. Photo by Hugh Jennings	American Coots. Photo by Hugh Jennings
Adult Cooper's Hawk. Photo by Bob Asanoma	Bald Eagle pair. Photo by Bob Asanoma
Juvenile Northern Shrike north of fields 7-8-9. Photo by Bob Asanoma	Male Belted Kingfisher at Rowing Club pond. Photo by Bob Asanoma
Coyote in Concert Venue, 8:00 a.m. Photo by Diana Antunes	Eastern Cottontail. Photo by Diana Antunes

Report for December 24, 2014 Birding at Marymoor

To avoid Christmas, we did the weekly survey a day early. Despite a forecast that called for a squall, we had delightful weather, with overcast and 40 degrees melding into partly sunny and 42, with no wind. Weatherwise, it certainly didn’t feel like were just days past the winter solstice. Unfortunately, the birds were not forthcoming; it was an extremely quiet morning. The large quantity of unfrozen seasonal ponds elsewhere probably attracted many of our waterfowl elsewhere. I guess we saw most of the rest of the expected species, but with very few surprises. Oh well, it was still a nice day. Highlights: Cooper’s Hawk Several sightings Wilson’s Snipe Two popped up briefly west of the slough MERLIN Last bird of the day, west of Rowing Club Northern Shrike Adult, east of East Meadow Bewick’s Wren Three came in fiercely to iPod in Big Cottonwood Forest For the day, just 49 species. Big misses included Cackling Goose! I’m off to Costa Rica in a week, but Brian, Matt, Sharon, et. al. will cover the walks as 2015 starts. Happy New Year. == Michael Hobbs	Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Bewick's Wren. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Brown Creeper. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Adult Northern Shrike. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Male Spotted Towhee. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Male Red-breasted Nuthatch. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Female Belted Kingfisher. Photo by Ollie Oliver.

Report for December 26, 2013 Birding at Marymoor

It was cold and foggy this morning, with the fog again thin enough that we could sense that things were more pleasant just a few hundred yards upslope. Birds apparently have sense, because many of them seem to have moved up for warmth and sunshine, leaving those of us weighed down by holiday cooking to wander around in the mists. It wasn’t very birdy, but it wasn’t too bad. Highlights: Greater White-fronted Goose 1 adult with Cacklers and a few Canadas Horned Grebe 1 well out on lake, late Virginia Rail Responded from boardwalk American Coot Filled the slough near the lake Wilson’s Snipe Brian flushed one in East Meadow Barn Owl Brian had one around 7 a.m. SHORT-EARED OWL One over East Meadow closer to 7:30 Belted Kingfisher One at weir The pair of BALD EAGLES that hangs out at the mouth of the slough may have been why the coots were all in the slough. One of the eagles was sitting in the water at lake’s edge. We had no big misses except for the continuing absence of White-crowned Sparrows, Purple Finches, Pine Siskins, and American Goldfinch. For the day, we managed 51 species. I’ve posted the 2014 time schedule. == Michael Hobbs	Adult Bald Eagle in the water at the edge of the lake. It was still foggy out there. Photo by Dasha Gudalewicz
Lincoln's Sparrow. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Great Blue Heron. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Female Anna's Hummingbird. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Male Anna's Hummingbird. Photo by Dasha Gudalewicz
Male Red-breasted Nuthatch. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Hooded Merganser pair. Photo by Dasha Gudalewicz
Adult Greater White-fronted Goose with Cackling Geese. Photo by Dasha Gudalewicz	Eastern Gray Squirrel. Photo by Dasha Gudalewicz

Report for December 27, 2012 Birding at Marymoor

The weather was MUCH nicer this week than last, which made for both more pleasant bird watching and more birds to watch. We did have a little bit of light rain early on, fading quickly to drizzle, and then even that stopped by about 9:30. It never got sunny, but there was no wind, and it was warm (over 40 degrees all morning). Highlights: Wood Duck Male in slough, from RC dock American Wigeon One in duck puddle on grass soccer fields Northern Pintail Nice look at small flyby flock Western Grebe Two out on lake Virginia Rail Several heard east of N end of East Meadow Wilson’s Snipe Heard, same place as rails, but pre-dawn Barn Owl Three, between 7:00-7:15 Red-breasted Sapsucker One NE of mansion Hairy Woodpecker One, south end of East Meadow BARN SWALLOW Still 3 over south end of East Meadow RED CROSSBILL More than a dozen around mansion We had 10 species of duck, total, but there were only a dozen CANADA GEESE, and while I heard CACKLING GOOSE at one point, no more than 1 was seen. There were about 1500 Cacklers at the park on Christmas day. We found all of the chickadees-wrens-kinglets and nuthatch, creeper, and bushtit, that we usually find - we don't always get that whole set of 10 species. There was a COYOTE hunting the East Meadow at 7:00 a.m. For the day, 55 species. == Michael Hobbs	Male Downy Woodpecker. Photo by Michael Hobbs Brown Creeper. Photo by Hugh Jennings
Mallard pair at Rowing Club. Photo by Hugh Jennings	Northern Shrike, 2012-12-21. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Golden-crowned Sparrows, 2012-12-21. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Lincoln's Sparrow, 2012-12-21. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Trumpeter Swans, 2012-12-21. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Trumpeter Swan, 2012-12-21. Photo by Ollie Oliver

Report for December 29, 2011 Birding at Marymoor

(Michael was in Florida) Cloudy but no rain. Greater White-fronted Goose - 1 with Cacklers Cackling Goose - approx. 1500 (estimate by Dave Anderson of WDFW, they are doing a waterfowl survey in the area) American Wigeon - 4 flew over early Northern Pintail - 7 flew over - males and females Cooper's Hawk - adult Mew Gull - probably 400 (flying overhead and most went toward lake) Barn Owl - 1 at airfield early, Matt had some later Common Raven - 1 being harrassed by crows We wound up with 50 species. Brian H. Bell Woodinville WA	Greater White-fronted Goose with Cackling Geese. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Male Hooded Merganser doing a stretch-and-flap display. Photos by Ollie Oliver
Gadwall and Common Mergansers. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Steller's Jay, 2011-12-24. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Adult Sharp-shinned Hawk, 2011-12-24. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Ring-necked Duck and female Hooded Merganser, 2011-12-24. Photo by Ollie Oliver

Report for December 30, 2010 Birding at Marymoor

Our last walk for 2010 was cold (27-34F), with crunchy snow pellets on the ground. For the first couple of hours we were in fog, which impeded viewing and kept the birds under cover. When the sun finally came out, we were able to see more birds. Highlights: Swan sp. Mark saw two fly north Bald Eagle 1 gave us great looks along the slough Killdeer 15+ on grass fields, rare for late Dec. Anna's Hummingbird Female at park office feeders Hairy Woodpecker A couple of looks Pileated Woodpecker Two looks, probably same bird Northern Shrike Juvenile in East Meadow again Varied Thrush At least 3 CEDAR WAXWING 4 in East Meadow Townsend's Warbler Probably more than 1, NE of mansion For the day, 57 species, despite having only 1 species of gull. Other "misses" included Common Merganser, Belted Kingfisher, Bushtit, and Red-winged Blackbird. And the Green Heron at the Rowing Club may have moved on due to ice. == Michael	Mallards and Gadwall in the fog at the weir
Bald Eagle along slough	Pine Siskin on a Red Alder. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Male Hairy Woodpecker	Adult Bald Eagle further along the slough. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Brown Creeper. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Cedar Waxwings with an American Robin, in the East Meadow
Male Varied Thrush	Male Varied Thrush
Bewick's Wren, 12-25-2010. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Male Ring-necked Ducks at the Rowing Club. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Male Green-winged Teal at the Rowing Club. Photo by Ollie Oliver	European Hazelnut catkins at the Rowing Club
Two Bobcats resting the East Meadow trail, 12-31-2010	Both photos by Lillian Reis

Report for December 24, 2009

Seven of us braved the cold this Christmas Eve, 24 Dec 2009, at Marymoor. It was 31F and foggy when we started. We made an effort for an owl early, but drew a blank - guess the Barn Owl stayed warm someplace. It took a while for the sun to burn the fog off, but by mid-morning we almost thought we could feel some heat. It was very quiet for Marymoor this morning with the fog and cold keeping the small birds inactive until later in the day. Nevertheless we did get some nice views. 48 species. Cackling Goose Cooper's Hawk Lincoln Sparrow Pine Siskin - a flock of about 50 Purple Finch Common Merganser - overhead Virginia Rail Northern Shrike - in the East Meadow Yellow-rumped Warbler Red-breasted Sapsucker Green Heron - at rowing club pond Brian H. Bell (standing in for Michael Hobbs, in Prague)	Morning mist. Photo by Scott Ramos
Sunrise by Ollie Oliver	Ollie being artistic again, and nicely
Displaying Great Blue Heron. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Displaying Great Blue Heron. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Displaying Great Blue Heron. Photo by Hugh Jennings	Opossum in a European Hawthorn. Photo by Scott Ramos
What's the technical term for a bird pooping? Cooper's Hawk, photo by Ollie Oliver	Green Heron at the Rowing Club. Photo by Ollie Oliver
Northern Shrike. Photo by Lillian Reis	Northern Shrike in flight, showing white wing patches. Photo by Lillian Reis
Immature White-crowned Sparrow taking off. Photo by Ollie Oliver	Male Belted Kingfisher. Photo by Ollie Oliver
	Male Spotted Towhee. Photo by Ollie Oliver

Report for December 24, 2008

It was just the 3 Amigos again today - myself, Brian Bell, and Ollie Oliver. The temps were right at and above the freeze. We had heavy snow until we got to the lake platform, and then it switched to a mix of rain and snow. There was more than a foot of snow on the ground to slog through, and almost nobody else but us there. Not very birdy, and rather damp by the end. But we did have some good sightings. Highlights: SNOW GOOSE 7 feeding near the Compost Piles along the road They were there all morning Wilson's Snipe Quite a few good sightings Red-breasted Sapsucker One at the Rowing Club Hairy Woodpecker Good looks just south of the Dog Meadow Northern Shrike Flew over the Compost Piles Townsend's Warbler At least 3 together, NE of the mansion, low in the trees Brian had the special honor of seeing the ONLY - singular - AMERICAN ROBIN The total number of birds was quite low - only single birds for many other species too. Lots of ducks, though down to 9 species today. I think we ended up with 44 species. == Michael	Six of the seven Snow Geese Close-up
They were there all morning	Hairy Woodpecker
Looking across the river at Dog Central	Looking south from the Dog Meadow into the forest
Fungi from the boardwalk	Brian celebrates his robin sighting under the roof of the kiosk
Male Townsend's Warbler northeast of the mansion	There were at least 3 warblers

Report for December 27, 2007

Matt Bartells and I got to substitute for him at Marymoor. It turned out to be a classic late December day - chilly to start (37F) and the temperature didn't rise much (39F). Followed by a light rain after about 20 minutes accompanied by a light breeze. It could only be called raw. In spite of the weather we were joined by 10 other folks. The birds didn't seem to like the weather any better than we did, as they were very quiet most of the day. The river was up slightly since last week, so those who didn't have high boots had to walk around when we came to the boardwalk. We finally wound up with 49 species, but we certainly had to work for them. Matt had two BARN OWLS near the Windmill early, and we had a couple of flyby WILSON'S SNIPEs over the East Meadow. Some fairly large flights of NORTHERN PINTAILs flew south toward Lake Sammamish early. As has been the case for several weeks we had large groups of MEW GULLs fly in from the lake just after dawn. Notable for being missing for the first time in 4 weeks was the very large group of CACKLING GEESE. We had a nice flock of BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEEs, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETs and some RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETs that followed our path. The sparrows were not very cooperative at the dirt piles, but we did pick up SONG SPARROW, GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW, and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW. Earlier we had a large flock of mostly GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROWs with a few WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS by the middle dog water access. We ended the day with a nice adult COOPER'S HAWK perched right near the lot we park in, and while we were watching it a MERLIN blasted past (first suggested by all the starlings and robins in the soccer field taking off in panic). All in all it was a good day. Brian H. Bell	Pine Siskins in an Oregon Ash tree, 2007-12-31 Golden-crowned Sparrow, 2007-12-31
"Sooty" Fox Sparrow, left, and an aberrant, mottled one on the right, 2007-12-31	Perhaps luckily for this bird, his white markings look like the dappling effect from sunlight filtering through branches. However, when he moved, he really stood out.

Brown Creeper on a Big-leaf Maple, 2007-12-31	This American Robin also showed improper white patches, 2007-12-31.