Subject: Green Lake, Seattle bird count, November 20 (long).
Date: Nov 21 01:20:35 1996
From: "Martin Muller" - MartinMuller at msn.com


Greetings fellow tweeters,

Despite yesterday's snow in Seattle, this morning's Green Lake count was not
too different from previous weeks. The snow was crisp, but started melting as
the count progressed. Started at 0715, finished by 0845. Temperature around
3-6 degrees Celsius, no perceptible wind.

Remarks:
Number of Coots and Gadwalls appears to have stabilized. Many have left after
initial appearance on the lake. Plant conditions in the lake and available
food probably are the cause. In other locations (like Union Bay, Lake
Washington numbers of these species are high again, so I don't believe the
numbers on Green Lake reflect a population trend). Overall, more fish-eating
species than plant eating species on the water (note I exclude wigeons and
geese found on land).

Four Cackling Geese with the Canada Geese, usually around Community Center
area, Playfields. One Greater White-fronted Goose hanging out with the Canada
Geese as well in same general area (usually fenced-in area, visible from outer
path). Two male Eurasian Widgeon, perhaps three, but one of them may have
moved counter-clockwise while I was walking clockwise. There's one strikingly
white-faced male American Widgeon (the cream color of the crown extends down
on both cheeks and down on his chin and upper throat) and he was seen with the
first Eurasian male as well as in the larger flock that contained two
Eurasians later on.

Nice finds: A Common Snipe, foraging in a soggy portion of the Pitch and Putt
Golf course among widgeon and geese. Out in the open, good look at it through
scope. Red-breasted Sapsucker. I have been looking for this bird at the north
end of the lake. Last winter one spent some time in the evergreens between the
tennis court and the bay with all the domesticated waterfowl. This morning,
with the colder temperatures, he was there. Watched him work on the tree that
shows scars from last years' drilling for sap. Less than ten feet away and
eye-level.

Pied-billed Grebes are up again, which surprises me. Usually their numbers
peak in August/September, drop by early October and remain at that level for
the rest of winter. This year they peaked at 58 in early September, fell to 19
in early October and now have gradually climbed back to 34. Interesting to
note that last week a family group showed up with three young begging for
food, something the birds that nested on Green Lake stopped doing roughly two
months ago. Does this mean that not only adult pairs maintain their pair-bond
throughout winter, (sometimes) migrating together, but that whole families
(sometimes) migrate together? The more I watch these guys, the more questions
pop up...

Still three Western Grebes present, one pair always together...

Legend: number before comma, male, after comma female. In case of no comma, no
distinction was made between sexes.

Pied-billed Grebe 34
Western Grebe 3
Double-crested Cormorant 122
Great Blue Heron 3
Greater White-fronted Goose 1
Canada Goose 194 incl. 4 Cackling
domesticated goose 9
Mallard 100,44
Northern Shoveler 16,17
Gadwall 47,30
Eurasian Widgeon 2(3?),0
American Widgeon 177,130
Common Goldeneye 0,2
Bufflehead 3,6
Common Merganser 19,23
Ruddy Duck 4,6
domesticated duck 17
Cooper's Hawk 0,1 adult (Bathhouse Theater area)
American Coot 344
Killdeer 2
Common Snipe 1
Mew Gull 85
Ring-billed Gull 92
California Gull 3
Herring Gull 2
Thayer's Gull 1
Glaucous-winged hybrids 22
Glaucous-winged Gull 90
Rock Dove 25
Belted Kingfisher 1,0
Red-breasted Sapsucker 1
Downy Woodpecker 2,2
American Crow 66
Black-capped Chickadee 24
Bushtit 68
Red-breasted Nuthatch 2
Golden-crowned Kinglet 40
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2
American Robin 22
Cedar Waxwing 20
European Starling 100
Yellow-rumped Warbler 12 (all in one tree)
Song Sparrow 4
Brewer's Blackbird 6
American Goldfinch 80
House Sparrow 12


Good Birding!
Martin Muller, Seattle
martinmuller at msn.com