Tweets - despite the dismal forecast, it was a wonderful morning until
around 10:00 when the drizzle started. By 10:30 there was light rain, and
by 11:00 it was more than moderate. But the first 3 hours were very
pleasant and almost warm. It definitely felt like spring. It was also a
day with a few different highlights:

AMERICAN BITTERN Flushed from willows near lake platform
Wilson's Snipe One over E. Meadow, 2 near weir
WESTERN GULL On grass soccer fields
Tree Swallows About 15, most from lake platform
Wh.-throated Sparrow Yawn.

I FINALLY FOUND SWALLOWS. After multiple trips to all sorts of locations
where other people had seen swallows this spring, without once seeing a
single bird, I was feeling rather jinxed. But around Dog Central we came
across a single swallow (which almost immediately disappeared). Probably
a Tree, but I can't rule out VGSW on that first one. But then, at the
lake platform, we had a dozen or so flying around, all of which were
clearly Trees. I'd begun to feel that I was the only birder in Western
Washington who hadn't seen a swallow...

The Western Gull was not the darkest I've seen, but it would clearly have
stood out from a classic GWGUxWEGU hybrid by virtue of truly black
wingtips and a pure-white head. Close enough for me to put firmly in the
WEGU category, even if it might be an octaroon. This is only the second
time I've had a gull I'd call Western at Marymoor.

One of the most notable things about today was the number of SINGING FOX
SPARROWS. They were everywhere, often sitting on semi-exposed perches and
singing away. We probably had around 25 FOSPs for the day, and at least
half of those were singing.

Many other species were heard singing, including American Robin, Northern
Flicker, Marsh Wren, Song Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Winter Wren,
Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and Bewick's Wren.

No woodpeckers except for Flicker, no warblers, no Siskin (they're all
newly at our feeders in Kirkland - just in the last 2 weeks).

The cherries are in bloom, as is the Tall Oregon Grape (just beginning).
The Oso Berry (Indian Plum) has leafed out, and are still blooming. A few
of the willows are blooming. We had one blooming Skunk Cabbage. Lot's
more stuff is in bud.

Oh yeah - the WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. Matt found it early this morning at
the Dog Area parking lot with the Golden-crowned Sparrows, where it has
been seen the past 4 weeks. We all got preoccupied with the Western Gull,
and when we came back by our cars, too many dogs were about. So we were
quite happy to find the bird again briefly as we came back to our cars
from the windmill, around 11:00. It was with GCSP, Lincoln's Sparrow, and
Spotted Towhee, near the Madrone tree.

For the day, 52 species, counting an unidentified accipiter (prob.
Cooper's) I saw at the south end of the East Meadow early. For the year,
now at 74 (only the Western Gull was new for 2003, though Tree Swallow had
not previously been seen on a regular walk).

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