[Tweeters] Marymoor Park (Redmond, King Co.) 2021-07-29

[birdmarymoor at gmail.com]

Tweets – The “perfect” weather continues.  I really wish we’d get a soaking rain sometimes instead, even if I bring it down upon us for next Thursday by saying so.  The park needs a bath.  But as for birds, today was pretty much back to the doldrums.  Good looks were hard to come by, and so many of the birds are juveniles in shabby, drab clothing.  

Highlights:
  a.. Gadwall – female and two ducklings in the slough below the Rowing Club dock.  Only our 2nd sighting in seven weeks 
  b.. Spotted Sandpiper – after dipping at the weir, we were happy to get one from the Lake Platform 
  c.. Gulls – very distant from Lake Platform.  A late scan of the lake revealed one definite “Olympic”, one probable California 
  d.. Caspian Tern – at least 1 again; 8th straight week 
  e.. Great Blue Heron – less than 10 seen.  The heronry appeared to be down to its last juvenile 
  f.. Green Heron – juvenile below the weir, adult at Rowing Club pond 
  g.. Osprey – some of the 3 juveniles at the ballfields light nest may already have fledged.  The new nest at the gravel parking lot has two large juveniles on it! 
  h.. Barn Owl – Matt saw one well, around 5 
  i.. Western Screech-Owl – Matt had one on the boardwalk fence very pre-dawn 
  j.. Great Horned Owl – ??? – I saw an owl from the Viewing Mound that seemed too dark and maybe too bulky for Barn, but it quickly disappeared into the fog 
  k.. Red-breasted Sapsucker – one in the NW corner of the Dog Area 
  l.. Hairy Woodpecker – one along slough near the start of the boardwalk 
  m.. Purple Martin – two still-active nests in the gourds.  More at the boxes in the NE corner of the lake 
  n.. Violet-green Swallow – only 1, at the Rowing Club 
  o.. Barn Swallow – 2-3 
  p.. Red-winged Blackbird – a flock of nearly 20 at the Lake Platform; first in 3 weeks 
  q.. Lazuli Bunting – only one, a juvenile in the East Meadow
We did have a “Black-tailed” MULE DEER on the far side of the slough below the weir.  I had a LONG-TAILED WEASEL yesterday near the East Kiosk.  JUPITER is very nice at around 5 a.m. these days.

Misses today included Pied-billed Grebe, Warbling Vireo, Tree Swallow, Bushtit, and Yellow Warbler.

For the day, 58 species, but good looks only about 45 of them.

= Michael Hobbs
= www.marymoor.org/birding.htm
= BirdMarymoor at gmail.com
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