Tweeters -

I went on the Coulon Park (Renton, King County) trek to see if I could
get a good look at the GWF Geese early this afternoon. I was able to
observe all 10 birds at VERY close range (<15 feet) and for the first
time, in good light. It appears that all 10 birds are adults. There is
definitely one bird that is both larger and darker than the others, and
has a more extensive white face, extending almost to the top of the
head. Could this be a Tule race goose (Anser albifrons gambelli?
elgasi?)? My guess is well, maybe - sure. This is not a bird I have
extensive experience with, but the large size and darker color
(particularly a "chocolate" neck) point to gambelli (I see nothing in my
references about more extensive white foreheads on gambelli). I also
saw the birds in flight - they lifted off of the water quite easily and
flew in a great circle before finally coming down very low across the
water for an extensive distance (5 ft or less above the water for 1/4
mile or more) and landing with not even a small splash - their calls
were very interesting as well - a sad sort of weh weh weh.

Also at Coulon Park were:

Pied Billed Grebe 6
Western Grebe 9 (mostly feeding just outside the log booms)
Eared Grebe 2 (near the North boat pier)
Red Necked Grebe 1 (with Westerns)
DC Cormorant 2
Ring Necked Duck 1 (male)
Greater Scaup 2
Common Merganser 2
Mallards >50 (~40% adult male)
Bufflehead 10 (5 pairs)
Canvasback 2
Gulls 1500 (mostly Mews - 1 ring billed, 5 California,
2 Bonapartes, ~300 Western-GW mess (I hate
gulls!!))
Coots 400
Bald Eagle 1 Adult
Canada Goose 30
Crows 100 (including several VERY small birds)

There is also a single very dark mallard-like duck with a nice violet
wing patch and only straight tail feathers floating about (I also saw
the blackish feral/mallard hybrid mess) that might be worth checking out
more carefully. He was at the north end of the park, but it started
raining heavily while I was observing him and he was very hunkered down
so I couldn't get a lot of field marks).

There are Canvasback in singles or pairs about every 100-200 yards along
the Lk Washington shore from Kennydale to Coulon Park.

I also stopped briefly at Lake Boren Park (Coal Creek Parkway at Olympus,
Newcastle, King County). In addition to the usual mallards, domestic
geese (Toulouse) and coots were a single Pied Billed Grebe, a pair of
American Wigeon and a pair of Wood Ducks.

Good Birding to all!

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Rob Conway
Cougar Mountain, Bellevue, WA
47.551N 122.142W

robin_conway at hotmail.com

<Q) // Icarus was a waxwing;
((``// Too bad his dad wasn't a flycatcher.
||
^^
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