There's been an intersting mix of Hooded Mergansers at the Golden Garden
ponds the last few days, one male and seven females. I have no idea if
this is common or not. The usual mix of Mallards and American Wigeons,
maybe 100 or so were also in the pond or on the lawn, coots and geese
too, as well as a single male Kingfisher. BC Chickadees, robins,
starlings and a song sparrow or two were also present, the robins and
sparrows were singing...

In the bay there were 4 kinds of grebes, Pied-billed (1) Horned (7) Red
necked (5) and Western (3), about 12 Red-breasted Mergansers, one more
male hooded, one female Bufflehead, 12 or so Barrow's Goldeneyes 5
Double-crested Cormorants and a few Surf Scoters and lots of coots. From
the Yacht Club north to the ponds.

Gull-wise, nothing but GW Gulls and hybrids except one California Gull,
even the ring-billed seem to have left. When the gulls, pigeons and crows
in the parking lot flew off noisily all at once, circling low, I looked
around to see an immature Bald Eagle flying south over the water. It
didn't seem to care about the other birds, needless to say.

If anyone is still reading, did you see the item in Thursday's Seattle
PI's Getaways about the Washington coast?:
"January and February are also good months to watch bald eagles and
ospreys," advises park ranger Mike Gurling, "as well as cormorants,
myrrhs and other surf diving birds..." Myrrhs? I'm sure ranger Mike
meant murres rather than an aromatic tree resin. Spellcheckers strike
again.

=================
Cliff Drake
Seattle, (Ballard) WA
Birder at Juno.com

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