Greetings fellow tweeters,

Last week I didn't count the birds on Green Lake due to other commitments.
With the prospect of possible rain for tomorrow I "whimped out" and did the
count this morning (Tuesday 3/25/97) in the glorious sunshine. I know the risk
of influencing the count, but just this once won't hurt, I convinced myself.
For those more scientifically inclined, a few years back two years worth of my
weekly counts were used to calculate bird nutrient "loading" to Green Lake.
Comparison of weekly versus monthly counts showed an overall abundance
difference for major bird groups (water birds lumped for instance) of about
3%. So I can convince myself easily that one sunny Tuesday versus a
potentially rainy Wednesday won't matter that much ;)

The construction of the path has progressed to the final section of the path.
This means the loop around the lake is open; we can once again use the narrow
section along Aurora Avenue and enjoy the Red-winged Blackbirds setting up
household (among other things). However between the Aqua Theater and the
Community Center on the southeast side you are on the upper/outer path,
farther removed from the lake. Due to lack of low shoreline vegetation on this
side visibility of the birds is good.

Legend: numbers separated by a comma indicate male, female. An asterisk
indicates a footnote.

Date: March 25, 1997
Time: 08:00 - 09:45
Weather: mostly sunny, South wind
Temperature: from 10 degrees C (50 F) to almost 15 degrees C (59 F).

Species Number

Pied-billed Grebe 5,2*
Double-crested Cormorant 17
Great Blue Heron 2 (in flight)
Mute Swan 1*
Canada Goose 14*
domesticated goose 9
Mallard 47,20
Northern Shoveler 3,2
Gadwall 17,7
Eurasian Wigeon 2,0
American Wigeon 183,132
Greater Scaup 3,2
Lesser Scaup 8,7*
Bufflehead 121,23*
Common Merganser 1,2
Ruddy Duck 15,16*
domesticated duck 8
Bald Eagle 1 adult, 2 immature*
American Coot 302
Killdeer 1*
Bonaparte's Gull 33
Mew Gull 100
Ring-billed Gull 31
Pink-footed hybrids 41
Glaucous-winged Gull 62
Rock Dove 20
Belted Kingfisher 1,0
Downy Woodpecker 2,1*
Northern Flicker 2,1
Tree Swallow 40
Violet-green Swallow 125
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 2
American Crow 23
Black-capped Chickadee 12
Bushtit 8
Red-breasted Nuthatch 4
American Robin 2
Varied Thrush 1
European Starling 40
Yellow-rumped Warbler 11
Song Sparrow 4
Red-winged Blackbird 28
Brewer's Blackbird 14
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 40
House Sparrow 10

Notes:
* Pied-billed Grebe. Look for bill size. Males have bigger, especially higher
(top to bottom) bills. I'm especially interested in these guys, so I've spent
a good deal of time watching them these past weeks.
* Mute Swans. Several times these past two weeks Mute Swans have visited Green
Lake. Two on Saturday 3/22. When seen in flight they appeared to travel to or
from the general Montlake Fill area (North of Husky Stadium). I've always
thought that the Mute Swans in the Fill were the same or descendants of the
Mute Swans introduced to Green lake in the late seventies, which left the lake
after their successful 1983 breeding season. Anyone have the dates/years for
Mute Swan "arrival" or increase at the Montlake Fill? Any correlation?
* Canada Goose. Three pairs apparently trying to nest on the small island. By
the way, the official name for that island, created with Work Project
Administration funds back in 1936/37, is "Waldo J. Dahl Waterfowl Refuge." It
was declared an official State Waterfowl Refuge in the thirties, named in
honor of one of the Park Board Commissioners instrumental in its creation in
the late fifties. Most Seattleites refer to it as Duck Island.
* Scaups. Great opportunities to compare Greater and Lesser males and females
side-by-side, at close range so you can double check the "nail" at the tip of
the bill. Especially near the Community Center on the East side of the lake.
* Bufflehead. What a treat. The lake is teaming with courting Buffleheads.
Each year around this time the dapper little ducks take an advance shot at
proving the impression that Green Lake is a great place to pick up a date :)
* Ruddy Duck. Some males starting to turn ruddy and blue in the bill.
* Bald Eagle. A third-year bird chasing a first-year bird around the
Pitch-n-putt Golf Course. A full adult (male by size) perched in the top of
the tallest tree on the island, occasionally screaming while watching the
youngsters mixing it up across the lake. Probably complaining their rowdy
behavior was disturbing his attempts at a quiet spot of fishing :) These past
few days occasionally saw the adult and third year bird (huge, probably
female) perched close together on the island. Before someone asks; I don't
expect them to nest there. They never have, either.
* Killdeer (one or two) apparently are spending the night on the play fields
South of the Community Center. Regularly hear their calls from the field well
after dark. They must usually leave early, only once in a while I catch one
there in the morning. Remember a pair nested on a rooftop across the street
there two years ago. No signs of nesting yet this year.
* Downy Woodpecker pair exchanging tapping noises on the snags just north of
the island (between water and North parking lot). Literally taking turns
tapping on their respective perches, turning the head and looking in the
other's direction, "waiting" for a reply and then tapping again. Watched this
for a good ten minutes. Each on a separate snag near the tree a pair used to
nest in last year. This reminds me I should urge the Parks Department to put
rail fences around the snags. The official Vegetation Management Guidelines
for the park call for maintaining the snags for wildlife. Hopefully this
coming Fall we will be able to do some wildlife habitat enhancement around
these snags, with varied under story of native habitat.

That's it for this month.
Martin Muller, Seattle
martinmuller at msn.com