High noon start - water level rather high, but all mudflats slowly being exposed by the outgoing tide
12:35pm end

Tweeters,
Fairly brisk SW breeze at Turning Basin #3 (TB3), and some very large blue birds (F/A-18 type) flying around (the Blue Angels are right across the street at Boeing Field).

Notable today was an adult and a juvenile CASPIAN TERN, which came in to the mudflat next to the goose-exclusion area. The juv kept following the adult and begging, but the adult merely took a bath and preened for a while. (Where was the nest that produced this CATE? Kellogg Island? Further north?)

Tip of the hat to Ray H. who passed on the info from Ed Schultz that the "official" fledging date of the three Hamm Creek OSPREY young appeared to be July 29. That's close to a month earlier than last year, possibly because the nesting platform was "new" at that time and the adults started reproductive activity later last year.

One of the many MALLARDS at TB3 was accompanied by one downy young. While I was on my scan, two Boeing guys stopped by to tell me that they saw a (harbor) seal come up under four ducklings last early last week and take down two of them. I saw only two ducklings last Thursday, so it looks as if another didn't make it.

Had the first "different" gull fly by for a couple of months: a CALIFORNIA GULL flew upriver just ahead of the terns, which banked and landed.

Birds seen during this scan include the following:
Canada Goose (36)
Mallard (37)
Double-crested Cormorant
Osprey (3; two juv at the Hamm Creek nest with one adult)
Killdeer (2)
California Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull (6)
Caspian Tern (1 adult; 1 juv)
Rock Pigeon (19)
American Crow (13)
Black-capped Chickadee
European Starling (2)
House Sparrow (4)

May all your birds be identified,

Denis DeSilvis
Seattle, WA
mailto:denis.j.desilvis at boeing.com