12:11pm start - water level dropping with all mudflats becoming exposed (low tide about 1:50pm)
12:53pm end

Tweeters,
The gillnetters were off the river sometime this morning, as were the researchers at the marshland, and they all missed a fine rest of the day. The MEW GULLS, RING-BILLED GULL, WOOD DUCK, WESTERN SANDPIPERS, and LEAST SANDPIPERS all made appearances on the south bank and on the restoration area (near the goose exclusion site). Four OSPREY were on the west power tower, scattered from top to near the bottom, with a PEREGRINE FALCON on the catwalk for company.

The WOW factor was high today: I had quite a few people stopping by for looks through my scope, including one young guy in a wheelchair. For most of them, it was the first time they'd seen birds close up, albeit looking at something across the river. For one woman, it confirmed the fact that she wants a spotting scope. She had started bringing a bird book with her to work because she wasn't sure about one family of birds she kept seeing: Common Mergansers. She described the young perfectly, as well as the habit of "mom" carrying the small ones on her back. She was very excited to see, close-up, the seven merganser family members sleeping on the mudflat opposite us!

Birds seen during this scan include the following:
Canada Goose (3)
Wood Duck
Mallard (12; including Fuzzy)
Common Merganser (7)
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Osprey (4; two adults and two juv at Hamm Creek)
Peregrine Falcon
Killdeer (18)
Western Sandpiper (3)
Least Sandpiper (4)
Mew Gull (2)
Ring-billed Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull (5)
Rock Pigeon (45)
American Crow (16)
Barn Swallow (6)
American Robin
European Starling (250)
Song Sparrow

May all your birds be identified,

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