Tweets - seven of us birded today under steady, weak drizzle. It never
really got close to rain, but it was almost always a touch more than mist.
The temperatures weren't too bad, and it was too, too dark (although we
started late, since 7:30 is now well before sunrise).

There weren't many real highlights - it was a very slow day most of the
time.

There was a pair of GREATER SCAUP near the weir early. Previously this
winter, we have had only 1 female scaup, back in October. Very bad year for
scaup sightings.

We had two flocks of CEDAR WAXWING flying east early. This is as late as
we've ever had waxwings.

We had two RIVER OTTERS at the lake platform, which swam from the east shore
to the west. Neat.

An adult BALD EAGLE flew to a cottonwood on the west side of the lake just
before we left the lake platform.

We had a MOURNING DOVE at the "compost piles" near the Interpretive Lot.

The mansion area had many birds, including both CHICKADEES, both KINGLETS,
BROWN CREEPER, and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH. The best was a creeper moving up
a Doug Fir while a nuthatch moved down, passing right next to each other.
We speculated on the possible hybridization of the two species - an issue
which would cruise round and round the trunk of a tree, going neither up nor
down.

Finally, we had 3 STELLER'S JAYS at the Rowing Club. They tend to be hard
to find in December.

For the day, a hard-earned 50 species. For the year, still at 131.

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