Tweets,
Sorry that this is a couple of days late. On Saturday Jim Flynn and I did
a big Day in King County that totalled 112 species. Obvious misses
included California Quail, Golden-crowned Sparrow and only 2 species of
gulls. Highlights on the other hand included Black Terns (2 locations),
Yellow-headed Blackbird (2 locations) and a Solitary Sandpiper. It started
at Midnight with owls and various other birds calling in the middle of the
night including Marsh Wren and Western Grebe. By dawn we were at about 15
species as we headed to the pass where the birding was good but misses
were ruby-crowned kinglet, hermit thrush, townsends solitaire, lincolns
sparrow and blue grouse. After birding the pass and birding the Snoqualmie
valley (thankyou Hugh Jennings for your personal responses for help as
well as your posts on tweeters which helped out in the valley), we stood
at 81 species at noon. Specialties in the valley were booming bitterns at
the Carnation Marsh, Blue-winged and Cinnamon Teal at Sikes lake as well
as 3 BLACK TERNS!!
Montlake Fill proved to be productive wih nice birds such as Osprey
and Yellow-headed Blackbird. After leaving here we totaled 93 species. The
middle of the afternoon was spent concentrating on seabirds as we had
moist of the passerines wrapped up. Stops at Shilshole and Discovery Park
added 2 species of Alcid, 2 scoters, brant, RB Merganser, Common Goldeneye
Orange-crowned Warbler and red-necked grebe to total 102 species by 4:30.
Stops at the Kent Ponds revealed Dunlin, Dowitcher, Western Sandpiper and
pipit to bring the total to 107, but we were running out of time. A pond
along the West Valley Hwy. revealed a solitary sandpiper and another stop
netted barn owl to bring it to 109, we headed for the Des Moines Marina
hoping for just a couple more. The marina revealed only Barrows Goldeneye
as we headed for Saltwater St. Park to finish out the day, it was 8:30
when we spotted Common Loon (winter plumage) and California Gull to finish
at 112 species. I would also like to thank Michael Hobbs for his help,
although we did not have time to hit Marymoor. With species that we missed
it is quite possible to hit 120 species in King County on a big Day if one
would get fortunate.


Scott Downes
sdownes at u.washington.edu
Seattle WA