Hi Tweets -

COLD this morning, dry - no rain, no snow, no fog, not even much frost -
windless, cloudy. Ponds, including those at the Rowing Club, were frozen so
there were many ducks in the slough.

Water levels are very low for this time of year. The low-water mark for 2000
was August 30 at 2.81 feet, and the slough has risen less than 7 inches since
then to 3.28 feet at the weir gauge. Mid-December readings in feet from the
last five years (all that I have data for) are as follows

2000 3.28
1999 5.00
1998 5.12 Average 4.38
1997 3.77
1996 4.75

The five-year high water mark was an estimated 7.25 feet on January 2, 1997,
and the five-year low water mark was 2.37 feet on August 29, 1996. The high
water mark for 2000 was just 4.14 feet - all other years have highs above 5
feet.

As for birds, there was one surprise, lots of ducks, and several woodpecker
sightings:

The surprise was a GREEN HERON, first sighting in months, at the weir.

The ducks were Mallard, Gadwall, Am. Wigeon, N. Shoveler, G.-winged Teal, Gr.
Scaup, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, and
Common Merganser.

We had many sightings of male DOWNY WOODPECKER, two great sightings of probably
the same pair of HAIRY WOODPECKER, and a scattering of NORTHERN FLICKER. The
Downies and Hairies were VERY vocal and very apparent.

All told, Brian Bell and I had 43 species.

== Michael Hobbs
== Kirkland WA
== Hummer at isomedia.com
== http://www.scn.org/fomp/birding.htm