[Tweeters] Marymoor Park (Redmond, King Co.) 2024-11-27

[Michael Hobbs via Tweeters]

Tweets - Matt had to work today, and that meant he got to miss the most
serious rain we've had during the survey in a long time.  From about 8:00 -
8:45, it rained.  Not drizzle or light rain, but also not
torrents/deluges.  Just rain.  Much of the rest of the morning had mizzle
and drizzle, though we did have a good hour or more of sunshine.  So
weirdly variable weather, and not so weirdly variable birdiness.

Highlights:
     Eleven species of duck - Though three of these were only during my
late scan of the lake: Northern Shoveler, American Wigeon, and Green-winged
Teal
     Common Goldeneye - Only some high flybys around 7:30 a.m.   First of
Fall (FOF)
     American Coot - Five near the cabana - our first in 4 weeks!
     Short-billed Gull - Maybe 200!
     Cooper's Hawk - At least 1 adult and 2 different juveniles, but even
more sightings.  One of the juvies looked especially wet and unhappy, and
then was mobbed by crows
     Pileated Woodpecker - One gave nice close looks in the Dog Area during
the rain
     Northern Shrike - One in the East Meadow
     MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE - One south of the mansion, west of the stage, at
the fringe of a large group of "littles".  First of Year (FOY)
     Varied Thrush - Male at the south end of the East Meadow
     Western Meadowlark - One in the East Meadow; was flushed by one of the
juvie Cooper's Hawks

This is just the 3rd sighting that I know of for MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE from
Marymoor Park.  The previous two were in late October, 2004.  (A 2009
report of MOCH was later determined to be an aberrant-plumaged BCCH).
 Neither of those earlier sightings was on a Marymoor Survey, and this is a
new park bird for me!

The MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE was at the edge of a large group of birds near the
mansion.  The ground there is absolutely covered in downed twigs, branches,
leaves, and cones that fell during the wind storm.  There were BLACK-CAPPED
and CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES, RUBY-CROWNED and GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS,
PINE SISKINS, and DARK-EYED JUNCOS feeding on the ground.  A BROWN CREEPER
was seen as low as 3 inches off the ground at the base of a tree.  Dozens
of very active birds in all, and then Emily spotted the Mountain Chickadee
which was also dropping from a branch to the ground and returning to the
tree about 15 feet away from us!

Misses today included KILLDEER, LINCOLN'S SPARROW, and RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD.

For the day, 63 species!

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