[Tweeters] Marymoor Park (Redmond, King Co.) 2023-09-28

[birdmarymoor]

For a rainy day, we actually had some fairly nice weather at times this morning.  And it was birdy, though the birds were often frustratingly hard to see.

Highlights:
    Cackling Goose - Quite a number of smallish fly-over flocks
    Eurasian Collared-Dove - One flew down the Dog Meadow.  Our 3rd sighting of the year
    Osprey - *STILL* activity at both nests
    Cooper's Hawk - Two juveniles chasing around the Pea Patch
    Merlin - One streaked across the East Meadow - 4th sighting in the last 7 weeks
    Violet-green Swallow - Maybe 20 total, in several sightings
    Ruby-crowned Kinglet - Tony saw one, First of Fall (FOF)
    Varied Thrush - Two heard clearly, Dog Meadow.  (FOF)
    Swainson's Thrush - Tony heard a couple pre-dawn.  Almost certainly last for the year
    Hermit Thrush - One seen well, Dog Meadow (FOF)
    CHIPPING SPARROW - Juvenile in Pea Patch presumably the same bird as last week
    Fox Sparrow - Several, some singing (FOF)
    Orange-crowned Warbler - At least 5, and possibly several more
    Wilson's Warbler - One in large cotton woods SE of Dog Central

We had salmon swimming up towards the weir.  And in the slough out from the start of the boardwalk, we had great looks at a 6"-long crayfish!  In the Pet Memorial Garden, a crow caught some mouse-like critter while we watched.

A late scan of the lake turned up a couple more First of Fall birds (FOF) birds - AMERICAN WIGEON (1 or 2), and LESSER SCAUP (3) with another scaup that looked to be GREATER, though too far away to be sure.

Misses today included Hooded Merganser, American Coot, Green Heron, Downy Woodpecker, Barn Swallow, Bushtit, Marsh Wren, American Pipit (though might have heard), and Lincoln's Sparrow (also might have heard).  

For the day, counting the two lake ducks, 54 species.

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