Sounds like you should have Virginia Rail in Snag Row if the rain keeps
up much longer!!!

Bruce Jones
Wilmington, NC/Shoreline,WA
(thank goodness it's NC now)

-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Hobbs <birdmarymoor at verizon.net>
To: Tweeters (E-mail) <TWEETERS at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Wed, 18 Jan 2006 16:23:38 -0800
Subject: [Tweeters] Marymoor Park Report (Redmond, King Co., WA)
2006-01-18

Tweets - water is still the order of the day at Marymoor, with a little
less water than on Saturday, but more than we had a week ago. At least
there wasn't much falling from the sky this morning. We had mostly
cloudy skies, but had mist for only a couple of hours in the middle of
the morning. We walked the slough trail as far as the first footbridge
(opposite the Rowing Club dock), then backtracked all the way to the
parking lot to head over to the other side. We cut through the east
side of the dog meadow down to the trail to the east end of the
boardwalk, wading from the first footbridge all the way to the lake. We
did manage the to get to the lake platform, but only by riding the side
rails for the last 50 yards or so.?
?
It was moderately birdy today, though things are not where they usually
are. The dog meadow ponds have lots of gulls and ducks. The southern
section, with water everywhere, has been pretty well cleared out of
small birds.?
?
Anyway, a few things of interest turned up:?
?
Wilson's Snipe 14 flushed from along the slough at one time?
Barn Owl Matt had one early over the East Meadow?
Great Horned Owl Hugh had one south early of the East Meadow?
Red-br. Sapsucker At east end of boardwalk?
Brown Creeper 2 with RBSA, 2 more near mansion?
Purple Finch Pair near the footbridge on the slough trail?
American Goldfinch Large flock (20+) west of slough?
?
The most exciting bird was a very red FOX SPARROW that was probably an
"altvagans" subspecies. Beadle and Rising consider this to be a
subspecies of RED FOX SPARROW. It was characterized by having very
obvious red tones, with a very bright reddish rump and wings, and with
the red pattern noticable across the shoulders and onto the face. The
background tone, behind the reddishness, was similar to a pale Sooty
Fox Sparrow. This bird was with two other Fox Sparrows and a pair of
Spotted Towhees near the two Doug Firs and the birch trees halfway
south along the west side of the East Meadow.?
?
Matt heard a VIRGINIA RAIL near the east footbridge early this morning.
This is WELL inland from where we usually hear them.?
?
We observed what appeared to be a territorial dispute between two
RED-TAILED HAWKS over just who was allowed to perch where in Snag Row.?
?
At the lake, I spotted a bird with a white head and tail and a dark
blackish back swimming in the middle of the lake. My first thought was
Great Black-backed Gull, but then it took flight. It had been a BALD
EAGLE, and it may have had something in its grasp when it took off.?
?
The other oddity today was finding a dead DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT.
Someone had apparently fished the corpse out of the water and left it
hanging over the railing of the boardwalk next to a large stick. No
obvious reason for death. It was covered in spiders - maybe they were
attracted to the parasites??
?
For the day, 57 species. For the year, we're up to 71 species.?
?
== Michael Hobbs?
== Kirkland, WA?
== http://www.scn.org/fomp/birding.htm?
== birdmarymoor at verizon.net ?
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