[Tweeters] Marymoor Park (Redmond, King Co.) 2024-04-11

[Michael Hobbs via Tweeters]

Tweets - We had dark overcast for most of the morning today.  There was
lots of singing, but bird sightings were in short supply.  About 8 species
were heard-only, with another two seen pre-dawn only, and two more seen
only on a late scan of the lake.

Highlights:
     Greater White-fronted Goose - The two hung out with Canadas near the
Viewing Mound
     Cackling Goose - Two flocks of ~75 each, flying north
     Mourning Dove - Tony photographed one before sunrise, First of Year
(FOY)
     Great Blue Heron - A low chorus of "grum grum grum", indicating
multiple young in the nests
     Osprey - They're Back - Probably at least 4 birds (FOY).  Canada Geese
continue to occupy the nests, though
     Cooper's Hawk - One flyby, first in a month
     Purple Martin - Male and female, each in a gourd (FOY), and the
3rd-earliest we've had them in spring
     Northern Rough-winged Swallow - Perhaps four, seen from the Lake
Platform (FOY)
     Barn Swallow - Two, one at the lake, one at the Pea Patch (FOY)
     Yellow-rumped Warbler - Quite numerous, and the only warbler seen.
Heard about 7 COMMON YELLOWTHROAT and 1 ORANGE-CROWNED

The only sightings of GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE later in the spring than
today's are three times that large flocks were seen flying overhead.  Dates
of these late flyovers were 4/17/2014, 4/24/2023, and 5/2/2010.  So today's
were the latest seen on the ground at the park.

Excluding Song Sparrow and Dark-eyed Junco, sparrow numbers were notably
low.  We had fewer than 5 each of FOX, WHITE-CROWNED, and GOLDEN-CROWNED
SPARROWS, and of SPOTTED TOWHEE.  SAVANNAH SPARROWS might have been fewer
than 10.  We did not find the White-throated Sparrow that has been with the
flock of Golden-crowned Sparrows that we also did not find.

A late scan of the lake turned up the only VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW and
PIED-BILLED GREBES.

Mammals seen today included two COYOTE near the model airplane field just
before sunrise.

Misses today included Common Goldeneye, Virginia Rail, Glaucous-winged
Gull, Red-tailed Hawk, American Goldfinch, and Lincoln's Sparrow.

For the day, 62 species.  Adding 5 species, we're at 96 species for the
year.

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