Subject: 7/29/98 Green Lake count (long).
Date: Jul 29 11:43:13 1998
From: "Martin J. Muller" - martinmuller at email.msn.com


Dear bird afficionados,

Did my Wednesday morning Green Lake (Seattle) bird count from 06:20 - 07:50;
sunny and 20C. The water still looks clear but in places where the Millfoil
is not harvested it is approaching the surface.

Legend: single number = everything lumped, number before comma male, after
female, third number young, asterisk = note at end.

pied-billed grebe 21 adult,22 hatchlings,6 stripe-head,18 eggs*
great blue heron 3
green heron 2ad,1juv
Canada goose 211 (100 less than last week)
domesticated goose 11
mallard 75,25,6
gadwall 87,65 (and rising)
domesticated duck 7
bald eagle 1 subadult
American coot 13
killdeer 2*
ring-billed gull 17
ping-legged hybrid gull 4
glaucous-winged gull 21
Caspian tern 2
rock dove 12
belted kingfisher 1,0
downy woodpecker 5
Northern flicker 1
violet-green swallow 6
cliff swallow 12
barn swallow 150
American/Northwestern crow 46
black-capped chickadee 50
bushtit 50
red-breasted nuthatch 2
brown creeper 1
American robin 3
European starling 270
yellow-rumped warbler 2
song sparrow 2
redw-inged blackbird 39
Brewer's blackbird 43*
house finch 1
house sparrow 110

*pied-billed grebe: two of the early nests had 2 and 3 juveniles survive to
independence. One of the same pair of adults has 5 hatchlings in their
second brood while the seven eggs in the other pair's second brood should
start hatching any day now. However I have my doubts as to how successful
they will be, often when the adults left the nest during full incubation
they did not cover the eggs and left them exposed to mid-day sun. This is
unusual behavior. Also, during the egg-laying phase the Milk Carton Derby
took place around this nest, with much disturbance that day. Normally some 8
copulations should have taken place during the time-span of the event, only
2 took place.
Other nests are having mixed success. Of the 8 nests total, 6 have chicks
but of those six 4 have some eggs that appear not to be hatching. Some
adults are gradually losing interest and focusing more on raising their
hatchlings. Three of the nest where some of the eggs have not hatched have
also lost one or more young, usually within 24 hours of hatchings (one
during hatching). Likely causes: exposure (chilling), drowning (their down
gets water-logged and the first couple of days 2-3 minutes in the water is
the maximum), food lodged in throat (some fish have spines and may get stuck
if they're too big). Additional causes likely exist but are unknown (no know
predators at this lake).

*Killdeer: it appears as if they are still trying to nest on the gravel
kitchen roof of the Hearthstone retirement center across from the park (east
side). I estimate they must be on their 3rd brood by now. I've resisted
trying to help them by taking hatchlings down 2 flights of stairs and taking
them across the street to the grass field. The field is very heavily used
and no place for killdeer chicks, I don't know that there is a safe place
for killdeer chicks at this park...

*Brewer's blackbird: first time I've counted more Brewer's than red-wings at
the lake.

Martin Muller, Seattle
MartinMuller at email.msn.com