12:59 start - water level low and dropping with most mudflats visible
(high tide - 8:52 (9.1ft); low tide - 16:45 (-0.5ft))
13:35 end

Tweeters,
Mild temp, thin overhead clouds, but bright at Turning Basin #3. One of
the TB3 Ospreys brought some nesting material to place on the light
standard in the Boeing parking lot just southeast of TB3. Another long
branch is dangling from one of the crossbars. (This is the same sort of
light standard that the Ospreys at T-105 use as a nesting platform.)

Either the Canada Goose family that had 5 goslings has been reduced by
two, or another family is in the area. The gosling size seems to be
about the same as I saw the other day.

A Barn Swallow, first of the year here, flew near the restoration
peninsula.

Bird of the Day: What appeared to be a Mallard duckling was cruising
southward quite quickly on what seemed to be a countercurrent at the
west side of TB3. I watched it for a about 10 sec, looked up at a
passing cormorant, then back down. The duckling was nowhere to be seen.
I scanned all around the area, but nothing. Zip. Nada. The water was a
bit riffled by the breeze, so I couldn't tell (by ripples) if the
duckling had been snatched from below. It was definitely a Twilight Zone
moment for me.

Birds seen during this scan:

Canada Goose (6, incl. 3 goslings)
Gadwall (2)
Mallard (3, incl. the duckling that disappeared)
Bufflehead (10)
Common Goldeneye
Western Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant (3)
Osprey (3)
Killdeer
Mew Gull (26)
Glaucous-winged Gull (11)
Caspian Tern (fishing near the Boeing bridge)
Rock Pigeon (19)
American Crow (11)
Violet-green Swallow
Barn Swallow
Bewick's Wren (2)
American Robin
European Starling (5)
Song Sparrow (2)
Red-winged Blackbird (2)
House Finch (3)
House Sparrow (4)

Species seen today - 23; YTD - 32

May all your birds be identified,

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