11:58 start - water level low and dropping with most mudflats visible
(high tide - 7:57 (9.7ft); low tide - 15:45 (-0.9ft)
12:39 end

Tweeters,
Partly sunny, with some large patches of thin clouds moving in on a cool
west wind at Turning Basin #3. For the first time at TB3, I saw the
Western Grebes in the usual pose with which I'm
familiar--sleeping--instead of foraging. Two Ospreys were on old pilings
at the south side of TB3, with the female calling quite a bit. The Hamm
Creek male Osprey brought a very long piece of cloth to the nest, but
then flew with it to the west-bank power tower after first landing on
the nest. It eventually brought the article to the nest.

An adult Bald Eagle flew in briefly, stirred up the pigeons and gulls,
then climbed into a thermal and soared upward for several minutes before
folding its wings slightly and incline-planing (there's a verb for you)
to the south.

Bird of the Day: The Hamm Creek Osprey with a "rug" for the "house."

Birds seen during this scan:

Canada Goose (12 incl. 5 goslings)
Gadwall (2)
Mallard (4)
Bufflehead (10)
Western Grebe (2)
Double-crested Cormorant (18, incl. 13 that were foraging together)
Great Blue Heron (2)
Osprey (4)
Bald Eagle
Mew Gull (46)
Glaucous-winged Gull (12)
Rock Pigeon (14)
American Crow (6)
Violet-green Swallow (2)
Cliff Swallow (3; no nestbuilding activity as yet)
European Starling (7)
Song Sparrow (3)
Red-winged Blackbird (2)
House Finch (2)
House Sparrow (5)

Today: 20 spp YTD: 31

May all your birds be identified,

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