11:23am start; water covers the mudflats, but appears to be dropping
12:15pm end; mudflats beginning to show more

Tweeters,
If not for work calling me back inside, I could have set up a seat and watched the river for the rest of the afternoon. It's got to be over 70 degrees (F), with a balmy easterly breeze, and very few clouds in the clear blue above. (I'm still looking for the Ospreys to return.) Seven COMMON MERGANSERS (5 male, 2 female) were actively fishing together over much of Turning Basin #3 (TB3) during the whole period I was out there. They appeared to be as successful, although with not as large a prey, as the river otter that had captured a rather large flatfish of some sort. The otter was being pushed past me by the current, and was struggling to hold onto the fish. Finally, it got into an eddy near the shore and managed to beach itself, and the fish, downstream of me.

I was just about to put the scope up when I noticed a "bump" on the west-bank power tower (north part of the catwalk railing). Sure enough, it was a PEREGRINE FALCON, which appeared to be hunkered down against the east wind. It's been over a week since I'd seen it.

Birds seen during this scan include the following:
Canada Goose
Gadwall (2; a pair at the goose-exclusion area of TB3)
Mallard (2; a pair near the same area as the Gadwall)
Bufflehead (6; 4 males and 2 females)
Common Goldeneye (3; two males, one female)
Common Merganser (7; five males, 2 females)
Double-crested Cormorant (5)
Peregrine Falcon
Mew Gull (7)
Glaucous-winged Gull (3)
Rock Pigeon (24)
American Crow (7)
Black-capped Chickadee
Bushtit
Bewick's Wren (2)
European Starling (9)
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
House Finch (2; female carrying nesting material)

May all your birds be identified,

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