This morning, Wednesday October 16, I did my weekly count of the birds
on/around Green Lake (Seattle, King County, WA). Today was nice and crisp, the
sun breaking through lingering whisps of fog rising from the lake. Started at
7:30, finished at 9 AM.

The first thing I noticed when I arrived was panic among the pigeons, gulls
and shovelers. I expected a Bald Eagle. Eventually I discovered an adult
Red-tailed Hawk. I watched it dodge Crows and Red-winged Blackbirds, while
crossing the lake. Then it landed in a tree near the Bathhouse Theater. A
first for me. So far all Red-tails seen at the lake always kept on flying.

Carp and Northern Shovelers are still feeding side-by-side at the lake's
surface. Funny to watch the shovelers sucking and squirting water above the
surface, with large yellow-rimmed mouths sucking in air and water from below.

Western Grebes (18) are still present on the lake (second week). The first
time in many years I've seen this many for this long on the lake. Two Horned
Grebes bring the number of grebe species up to three (Pied-billed Grebes being
regulars). Several pairs of Pied-bills are still performing the greeting
normal for mated pairs, indicating their continued interest/acceptance even
after their young have become independent some time ago and the adult have
deserted the nesting territories. So potentially these could even be a
migrating pairs...

Double-crested Cormorant numbers are growing steadily. The 60 of this morning
are only the beginning of the 200+ I'm expecting to start roosting on the
little island in the lake, later this winter.

Wigeons are back. For now they're out in the center of the lake, where along
with the Gadwalls they take advantage of the American Coots' diving ability.
Large amounts of Millfoil are being consumed by all.

The pair of Lesser Scaups are the first for the season (for me anyway).

The female Wood Duck is beautiful and very tame (unbanded, but may be an
escapee from Pillings' Ponds ten blocks north of the lake). Usually found on
the east side, Community Center area, hanging out with the mallards.

The Greater White-fronted Goose left after two weeks on the lake. Oh well,
easy come, easy go.

Numbers separated by a comma indicate males before the comma, females after.
The complete list is as follows:

Pied-billed Grebe 25
Horned Grebe 2
Western Grebe 18
Double-crested Cormorant 60
Great Blue Heron 1
Canada Goose 132
hybrid Canada Goose X ? 1
Domesticated Goose 9
Wood Duck 0,1 (= no male, one female)
Mallard 75,39 (low?)
Gadwall 108,72 (rising)
American Wigeon 54,43 (rising)
Lesser Scaup 1,1
Hooded Merganser 1,1
Common Merganser 0,5
Red-tailed Hawk 1
American Coot 425 (rising)
Mew Gull 15 (bathing on deepest part lake, as usual)
Ring-billed Gull 25
Glaucous-winged hybrids 8
Herring Gull 1
gull spp (backlit) 4
Rock Dove 25
Belted Kingfisher 1,0
Downy Woodpecker 1,1
Northern Flicker (red) 1,0
American Crow 36
Black-capped Chickadee 44
Chestnut-backed Chickadee 2
Bushtit 84
Red-breasted Nuthatch 4
Golden-crowned Kinglet 12 (first of season)
Cedar Waxwing 10
European Starling 22
Orange-crowned Warbler 2
Yelow-rumped Warbler 10 (6 Audubon, 4 heard-not-seen)
Song Sparrow 7
Red-winged Blackbird 41
Brewer's Blackbird 2
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 20
House Sparrow 24

Winter is coming!

Martin Muller, Seattle
martinmuller at msn.com