[Tweeters] Marymoor Park (Redmond, King Co.) 2025-02-27

[Michael Hobbs via Tweeters]

Tweets - It was a gorgeous day, and while it was cold to start (33
degrees), it warmed up too fast and too much.  It was 53 degrees when we
finished at 11, so 20 degrees in 4 hours.  Impossible to dress for that!
There was a lot of singing today, but it was mostly AMERICAN ROBINS.
Everything else was spread rather thinly.  It was a somewhat disappointing
day.

Highlights:
     Great Blue Heron - At least 60 birds on the nests simultaneously, with
several others around
     Red-breasted Sapsucker - Suddenly several sightings; almost certainly
multiple birds.  We've only had one bird once previously this year
     Gull sp. - One distant, flying gull was our only larid.  That's VERY
unusual for this time of year
     Northern Shrike - One popped up at the south end of the East Meadow
just after I confidently declared that shrikes had likely moved north
already
     TREE SWALLOW - They're back (I had a few yesterday, we had more
today).  Probably a little fewer than 10 birds, but hard to say.  Overhead
several times
     American Robin - Approximately 193 of them, all over everywhere all
morning.  They presented a full choir predawn chorus as well

A late scan of the lake turned up the only Ring-necked Ducks (2 drakes).
There was also a female LESSER SCAUP which gave sufficient looks for
positive ID.  First (confirmed) of Year (FOY).  There was also a falcon
that flew low over the lake.  Had me thinking Peregrine Falcon, but I could
not rule out Merlin.

Displaying/etc. birds today:  Bufflehead (some head bobbing), Common
Goldeneye (extended displays ending with the head thrown back),  Great Blue
Heron bringing sticks to the nest, Northern Flicker drumming. Singing
today: Anna's Hummingbird, Black-capped Chickadee, [Ruby-crowned Kinglet
yesterday but not today], Golden-crowned Kinglet, Brown Creeper, Pacific
Wren, Marsh Wren, Bewick's Wren, American Robin, House Finch, Fox Sparrow,
Dark-eyed Junco, White-crowned Sparrow (gambelii), Golden-crowned Sparrow,
Song Sparrow, Spotted Towhee, and Red-winged Blackbird.

The mammal list was better than usual, unlike the bird list.  Eastern Gray
Squirrel, American Beaver, Muskrat (FOY), Eastern Cottontail, and Mule Deer
(FOY).  All but the squirrel were only seen before 7 a.m.

Misses today were Green-winged Teal, Hooded Merganser, American Coot (never
missed before during Week 9), Wilson's Snipe, Short-billed Gull,
Ring-billed Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull (though I think that's what the
larus sp. actually was), Purple Finch (may have heard), and Western
Meadowlark (though I had one yesterday around 3 p.m.).

For the day, just 50 species plus the gull and falcon.

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