Tweets,

Nancy and I took a break from work and spent the better part of the day
between our house, Kenmore, Carnation, Stillwater, and Edmonds. 82 species
of birds plus a coyote at Carnation.

Highlights include three ANCIENT MURRELETS and a single somewhat late
HEERMANN'S GULL off the Edmonds pier, THREE SWAMP SPARROWS, including one at
the SAS Carnation Marsh (just east of the road at the big bend in the middle
of the marsh), a YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD in a big flock of ca 2000 starlings
and red-wings. In this flock were at least two birds I am nearly certain
were male TRICOLORED BLACKBIRDS. I was able to study them at some distance
on the ground and somewhat closer up in trees, backlit, at 30x. They
appeared to have broad white wingbars (not yellowish or buffy), with just a
narrow fringe of red, and rather narrower-based, slightly longer bills than
the many male Red-wings in the same flock. Once one of these males stretched
its wing nicely exposing the epaulette, showing a carmine red upper margin.
I could not judge how glossy the plumage was, given the conditions. The
flock was in fields south of NE 60th St., 0.5 miles west of Highway 203 just
north of the town of Carnation. These would be the first for King County,
to my knowledge.

Gene Hunn
enhunn at attbi.com