Dear tweeters,

Went out this morning and counted the birds at Green Lake (Seattle). Most of
the winter species are here.

Conditions: rain, 48F/9C, not quite as windy as yesterday morning or last
night....

Legend: where applicable before comma males, after comma female. Asterisk
indicates note at end.


Pied-billed Grebe 56*
Horned Grebe 1
Western Grebe 1,1
Double-crested Cormorant 22
Great Blue Heron 3
Canada Goose 136
Domesticated Goose 9*
American Green-winged Teal 2,5
Mallard 104,61
Northern Shoveler 33,35
Gadwall 118,100
Eurasian Wigeon 3,1?*
American Wigeon 144,76
Ring-necked Duck 1,1
Lesser Scaup 2,7
Scaup spp. 14*
Common Goldeneye 1,0
Barrow's Goldeneye 3,1*
Bufflehead 5,8
Hooded Merganser 1,1
Common Merganser 20,15
Ruddy Duck 3,4
Domesticated Duck 11
Bald Eagle 1,1 ad*
Cooper's Hawk 0,1*
American Coot 483
Mew Gull 130
Ring-billed Gull 32
California Gull 2
Glaucous-winged hybrid gulls 7
Glaucous-winged Gull 31
Rock Dove 24
Belted Kingfisher 2,0*
Downy Woodpecker 1,1
Northern Flicker 2,0
American/Northwestern Crow 21
Black-capped Chickadee 19
Bushtit 38
Red-breasted Nuthatch 2
Bewick's Wren 1
Winter Wren 2
American Robin 2
European Starling 90
Yellow-rumped Warbler 2
Song Sparrow 8
Dark-eyed Junco 6
Red-winged Blackbird 11
Brewer's Blackbird 7
Pine Siskin 30
American Goldfinch 30
House Sparrow 24

Notes.

Pied-billed Grebe: a few youngsters have minuscule remnants of the white
stripes on the neck left over. Several groups of 4-5, possibly family
groups, hang out together consistently (Wednesday morning is not the only
time I'm down at the lake; I run the lake at least twice a week and remember
those free Saturday morning bird walks every first and third Saturday all
winter through April...).

Domesticated Goose: Chinese Goose (with the lumps on the forehead) and
"Pilgrims" (Greylag descendants). No Greater White-fronted Goose as in past
winters yet.

Eurasian Wigeon: the males are usually with the flock hanging out near the
Community Center area (play fields, bay). One male is hanging out with a
female. Haven't seen her wing lining yet to see if she may have the sooty
coloration typical of Eurasian females.

Scaup spp.: flock flying away in the rain...

Barrow's Goldeneye: I've mentioned this in past winters; I believe a flock
of these birds comes in at night to roost on the lake, sometimes they get
caught in nasty weather and stay long enough in the morning for me to
include them in the count. Interesting to have these predominantly
brakish/salt water winter birds roosting on fresh water.

Bald Eagle: looks like a pair. Smaller male has tiny brownish flecks behind
his eyes on his otherwise white head. He has taken to sitting in the
evergreen above the Tennis Court at the north end of the lake and the gulls
and crows have gotten used to it, they hardly dive-bomb him anymore. Seen
the birds fly in and out of the evergreens in Lower Woodland Park across
from the Aqua Theater but have not been out at dusk yet to determine if they
are roosting there again like last spring.

Cooper's Hawk: every time I go up into Lower Woodland Park I find one or two
immature female Cooper's Hawks, often around the rocks where the rabbits
live (introduced rabbits; regularly fed by people). It's a challenge to
follow the hawks around the wooded area as they dodge trees and crows and
hunt the songbirds through the underbrush. The crows are helpful...

Belted Kingfisher: last week one adult male and one female. This week one
adult and one immature male (incomplete belly-band).

Regards,
Martin Muller, Seattle
MartinMuller at email.msn.com