Hi Tweets -
The Snow Buntings found by Mark Vernon yesterday were still present
today at Discovery Park in Seattle.

3 Snow Buntings were hopping around on the drift-logs and the path on
the south beach, generally in the area close to the parking lot by
the light house. They popped right out a bit after 9:00 when I first
looked for them, and were still there after 1:00 when I departed. As
reported yesterday, they were staying true to form, sticking close to
the ground or the logs, not flying far very often.

Other birds at DP today:
2 Peregrine Falcons - 2 adults cruising in the winds almost all day
both down at the beach and up over the south meadow - I saw them
team-chase a Sanderling for quite a while [but I lost sight before
they failed or succeeded]

1 Northern Shrike - in the south meadow, not far from the bathrooms
along the south edge.

1 Red-throated Loon

10-15 Sanderling

all 3 Scoters, a single Rhino Auklet & a single Pigeon Guillemot
[where are the alcids this year?]

A Bonapartes and a handful of Heermans Gulls amongst the mostly Mew flocks.

Add to that the usual forest and meadow passerines and it was a
pretty good day out at the park.

Matt Bartels
Seattle, WA



>
>I had a very interesting sighting at Discovery Park today.....
>
>I had eaten lunch on the rocks at the West Point lighthouse and was
>making my way back to the bluff on the gravel path going east. Three
>little birds were walking in front of me pecking about in the
>gravel. They were not at all worried about me. At first I wondered
>if they were Horned Larks, which I have seen there before....no,
>these were very pale. The first mark I noted was a long white bar
>running down the wing. The birds wobbled from side to side as they
>walked. Every so often they would fly a short ways and land back in
>the gravel, lots of white feathers showed as they flew. I followed
>them and saw some gorgeous details, very light brownish beak, and
>when one of them turned to look at me a very faint little brown mask
>from eye to eye and a faint brown spot on their cheeks! Their breast
>was very white.
>
>Not being familiar with any of these Buntings I ran home thinking I
>had seen a Lapland Longspur....one of my nemesis birds. My Sibley
>clearly shows that I saw Snow Buntings!!! That is certainly one for
>my Life List.
>
>The best way to see if I am right is to go immediately to Discovery
>Park and see if they are still there!!!
>
>-Mark Vernon
>Renton, WA
>
>
>
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