Subject: Marymoor Park Report (Redmond, King Co. WA) 5/9/2002 (long)
Date: May 9 20:36:04 2002
From: Michael Hobbs - Hummer at isomedia.com


Tweets - Birds galore today, though we had to wade through scores of
Yellow-rumped Warblers to see anything else. The weather, while not warm and
sunny (mostly thin overcast, no wind, chilly), was good enough that nobody
seemed rushed to get back to their car. So we were a bit leasurely, and we
were rewarded for our efforts.

I also walked around some in the PM (4:30 - 5:30) while my son played soccer.

Highlights:
Green-winged Teal Pair at lake
BLUE-WINGED TEAL 2 sightings of single drake
Wood Duck At least 4, MF, one at RC
Osprey Many sightings
Sharp-shinned Hawk Imm. (F?), maybe a Cooper's imm. too.
MOURNING DOVE 1 flying north
Warbling Vireo Widespread, perhaps 15 total
Hermit Thrush 1 near park office in the PM
Yellow Warbler Heard 3 in the AM, saw 1 male in the PM
Yellow-rumped Warbler Perhaps 100? More? Aud. & Myrt., M&F
Orange-crowned Warbler Widespread, perhaps 15-20 total
Wilson's Warbler Mostly males, 1 F at RC, ~6 total
Townsend's Warbler Distant but distinctive view, 1 at RC
MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER One at RC
Common Yellowthroat Many males singing, few good views.
WESTERN TANAGER 10+ in flocks of ~5.
Black-headed Grosbeak M&F, ~5 total
Lincoln's Sparrow Compost piles - see note below
BULLOCK'S ORIOLE F at RC, poorly seen, silent

RIVER OTTER One on far bank just upstream from weir

At one point we had 5 male WESTERN TANAGER in one hawthorn in the dog meadow.
In the same shrub (it was crowded) was a Warbling Vireo, some Yellow-rumped
Warblers, an Orange-crowned Warbler and a Black-capped Chickadee or two. One
of the WETAs had the reddest face I've ever seen, rivaling a Scarlet Tanager.

A young RED-TAILED HAWK perched in the deep woods south of the Dog Area caused
a commotion among STELLER'S JAYS and AMERICAN ROBINS, with the alarm sounding
for at least 10 minutes. I was hoping we'd find a Barred Owl or somesuch, but
no luck.

RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS are nesting at the Rowing Club, and at least 1 nest had
young.

Brian Bell and I did one last swing looking for this and that and found a
roosting BARN OWL in a clump of cedars.

This afternoon, in the East Meadow, there was a crow sitting on a post pecking
at a large, freshly dead, Garter Snake. When the crow saw me it coiled up the
snake and carried it off in its beak like a bit of rope.

This was the latest spring sighting we've ever had for:
GREEN-WINGED TEAL, beating out May 6. 1999.
HERMIT THRUSH, beating out May 2, 2001
LINCOLN'S SPARROW, beating out May 3, 2000 and May 4, 1995.

This was the EIGHTH sighting we've ever had for BLUE-WINGED TEAL, all between
April 20 and June 11.

This was the FOURTH sighting we've ever had for MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER, others
being 8-May-97, 15-May-97, and 27-May-99

>From recent days, I can pass on some sightings that others have reported to me:
Grace and Ollie reported a WESTERN KINGBIRD, May 3, on the far side of the
slough near the weir.
MaryFrances Mathis reported a female AMERICAN KESTREL near the compost piles on
May 5.
Jim McCoy reported COMMON LOON, D.C. CORMORANT, AMERICAN WIGEON, LESSER SCAUP,
and a female PILEATED WOODPECKER yesterday, May 8.

TOTALS:
This morning's walk yielded 60 species. Between the reports above plus what I
saw Tuesday (reported previously, including the CHIPPING SPARROW), that makes
72 species for the week, and 109 on the year.