Hi Tweets

Michael Hobbs is still out of town, so 8 of us took the weekly walk
around Marymoor this morning.

It was clear and warm (62F to start, approx. 75F finish) this morning.
The water level in the river is quite low now (2.75 water level, weir
completely exposed and low water thru the notch.

We had a very pleasant walk, but it was quite warm. It is completely
into summer now - very few birds singing early so we had to work to find
the birds that are there. Song picked up some later particularly in the
cottonwood forest, then shut off when it warmed up. We had a nice flock
in the cottonwood forest (BUSHTITS, BEWICK'S WREN, and warblers, a
couple of creepers). The ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER and WILSON'S WARBLER
were a surprise, but welcome. In my early drive through there were three
birds on the OSPREY nest, I don't think any of them were adults. A good
variety turned up, some of the numbers are reduced - There don't seem to
be as many swallows around (saw very few early along the river), but the
HOUSE FINCH and CANADA GEESE numbers are up. Also lots of AMERICAN
GOLDFINCH. The grove of Douglas Firs east of the mansion continues to be
good for the specialty species (CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICHADEE, RED-BREASTED
NUTHATCH, GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET).

54 species

Besides the birds mentioned above we had a WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE feeding
young, a singing RED-EYED VIREO, some of the WILLOW WARBLERS were
singing this week (after being quiet last week), the YELLOW WARBLER is
still near the rowing club, immature HOODED MERGANSERS are still at the
rowing club pond, and the immature RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER is still
frequenting the snags across the river just upstream of dog-central.

We had three RIVER OTTERs cavorting just east of the boardwalk stub out
by Lake Sammamish, a MUSKRAT grooming itself along the river, and a
bunch of dragonflies (BLUE-EYED DARNER, EIGHT-SPOTTED SKIMMER and
CARDINAL MEADOWHAWK) along the river, from the boardwalk and at the
rowing club pond.

We will be starting the walk next week at 6:30 AM from the west end of
the dog area parking lot.

Brian H. Bell
Woodinville Wa
bellasoc at isomedia.com