Complete count Green Lake, October 27, 1999.
0730-0900, 45F/6C, overcast.

Birds are on the move, with various "winter" species showing up at the lake.
It's maybe a bit early to say for sure, but I have a feeling the heavy algal
bloom 1 1/2 months ago may have caused the milfoil to die back earlier than
usual. The coots are already foraging on land and there are a fair number of
diving birds on the lake. It will be interesting to see how the winter
numbers play out.

Where applicable: before comma male, after female.
Asterisk indicates note at end.

Pied-billed Grebe 6
Western Grebe 1,1*
Double-crested Cormorant 19
Great Blue Heron 1
Canada Goose 126
Domesticated Goose 7
Mallard 113,61
Northern Shoveler 0,2
Gadwall 27,24
Eurasian Wigeon 1,0
American Wigeon 9,7
Ring-necked Duck 2,3
Lesser Scaup 3,3
Bufflehead 4,8
Common Merganser 1,12
Ruddy Duck 2,3
Domesticated Duck 8
Bald Eagle 1,1*
Cooper's Hawk 0,1imm*
Red-tailed Hawk 1 imm*
American Coot 99
Killdeer 3
Mew Gull 5
Ring-billed Gull 21
California Gull 1
Glaucous-winged hybrid gulls 6
Glaucous-winged Gull 22
Rock Dove 20
Belted Kingfisher 1
Downy Woodpecker 1,1
Northern Flicker 1,0
American/Northwestern Crow 55
Black-capped Chickadee 20
Bushtit 80
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Brown Creeper 1
Winter Wren 2
American Robin 4
European Starling 50
Yellow-rumped Warbler 6
Song Sparrow 6
Dark-eyed Junco 2
Red-winged Blackbird 5
Brewer's Blackbird 2
American Goldfinch 10
House Sparrow 8


* Western Grebe: before someone asks, as in all grebes sexes can be
distinguished by bill size (male larger), especially when seen at close
range with birds in profile next to one another, as this morning (otherwise
I wouldn't even try).

* Bald Eagle: an adult male and female circled 50 feet overhead near the
largest patch of water lilies, the female landed in a tree in Woodland Park,
the male in a treetop on the island. If this is the same pair that nested
here last year then the female has indeed lost all traces of brown
(immature) plumage on head and tail. Tom Aversa told me people have seen
eagles collect sticks in trees in the Zoo (up the hill from their nest tree)
last week. This is normal for eagles in this area this time of year
(probably part of that false courtship that goes on in the fall).

* Cooper's Hawk: this first-year female zipped in low over the path near the
Community Center at the very start of my count, chasing a crow (she was
bigger, hence the determination of the hawks' sex). The crow dodged around
the metal diving platform superstructure (for diving boards in summer) and
the hawk landed out in the open on the metal structure. Shortly thereafter
there were a dozen crows (quietly, if you can believe it) sitting one perch
higher, looking at her. She ignored them and started preening.... One crow
flew off and she briefly chased it, then returned to her perch and preened,
then pulled one foot up, looking as if she planned on staying for a while. I
continued on my way.

* Red-tailed Hawk: Followed by loud crows (that's more like it!) this bird
came out of Woodland Park and flew off to the SE along the lake shore. As it
flew overhead and I got my binoculars on it, the bird looked completely dark
brown (as in solid dark brown body, no visible streaking) presumably a dark
morph bird. As it flew off I got my scope on it and confirmed the (immature)
brown tail. First time I've seen a dark morph of any age here in town.

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