Tweets - We had a really interesting day at Marymoor today. Water is high,
and water birds were all around. The slough path to the boardwalk is
blocked by deep water. A dozen of us had fun under mostly cloudy skies that
occasionally dripped tiny amounts of water on us. We had a good half-hour
of almost sunshine, followed by increasing gloom and chill. But the birds
kept us awake.

Highlights:

The juvenile TUNDRA SWAN has taken up residence in a large pond on the grass
& gravel parking lot just north of the grass soccer fields. Also enjoying
the pond (it's a BIG puddle) were MALLARD, GADWALL, AMERICAN WIGEON,
BUFFLEHEAD, geese, and gulls.

We also had four adult swans fly north over the compost piles, and based on
their large size and looooong necks, Brian Bell and I concluded they were
TRUMPETER SWANS. (Thanks Knut, for spotting them)

The geese arrived late. The first flock came in and quickly left. It
appeared to be mostly CACKLING GOOSE with one (presumably the same as
previous weeks) juvenile SNOW GOOSE.

More geese came in while we were admiring the Tundra Swan, round about
nearly noon. In all, I think about 500 Cacklers came in, with no more than
50 Canadas. Among the late arrivals was one GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE.

Other ducks seen today were: GREATER & LESSER SCAUP, COMMON GOLDENEYE,
COMMON & HOODED MERGANSER, and NORTHERN SHOVELER (at the Rowing Club). So
just from swans, geese, and ducks, we were at 16 species.

Other highlights:

OSPREY WOW - circled over east meadow, flew
south
Sharp-shinned Hawk One bird flying towards the lake
Townsend's Warbler Nice male just as we were leaving the Rowing
Club
Purple Finch Distant views from Cottonwood Forest.
Close views at Rowing Club.

After the walk, Brian and I went over the lakeside cabana to try to get a
positive ID on the scaup (both were present). We added a single HORNED
GREBE and a flock of 23 DUNLIN.

For the day, 61 species. Not bad for December.

== Michael Hobbs
== Kirkland, WA
== http://www.marymoor.org/birding.htm
== birdmarymoor at verizon.net