11:40am start - water level low; incoming tide
12:18pm end

Tweeters,
Moderate north wind and warm air combined for a very balmy noontime sojourn on the river. Both adult OSPREYS were up and about at the Hamm Creek nest. The female appears not to be incubating any longer, but I'm unable to see if young are in the nest, although activity by the parents suggest that egg(s) have hatched.

The PEREGRINE FALCON was hunting from the east-bank power tower; took at least two different passes at prey, but was unsuccessful in both attempts I observed.

A family party of an adult COMMON MERGANSER with three young passed by close to "my" spot.

CLIFF SWALLOWS still like the mud at one spot on the south side of the goose-exclusion area (it's at the north side of the channel made by the stormwater discharge). As before, it's difficult to determine how many Cliff Swallows are nesting under the Boeing bridge, but there appears to be a substantial colony.

Birds seen during this scan include the following:
Gadwall (2; the first I've seen for some time)
Mallard (4: adult female with 3 well-developed young)
Common Merganser (3 adults; 3 young)
Double-crested Cormorant (2; feeding very successfully at Turning Basin #3)
Great Blue Heron (2)
Osprey (2)
Peregrine Falcon
Killdeer
Glaucous-winged Gull (5)
Rock Pigeon (9)
American Crow (6)
Cliff Swallow (3)
Barn Swallow
Bewick's Wren
Marsh Wren (heard)
American Robin
European Starling (5)
Song Sparrow (2)
House Finch (4)
American Goldfinch (2)
House Sparrow (2)

May all your birds be identified,

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