Hi Tweets

Michael Hobbs is in South Carolina this week, so I am standing in for him. We had a great day at Marymoor - clear, mostly sunny but cold to start - 33F. The river is up again so we could not walk all of the path thru the Cottonwood forest. We had 22 people out today - a new record- including four young folks with great eyes and ears.

Lots of birds singing, many with nesting materials in beaks and bills. Spring has definitely arrived and most of the ducks have departed. Swallows are back, as are Savannah Sparrows and the Green Heron.

This morning at 10:45 am, as we approached the dirt/compost piles we saw a bird that was definitely not one of our regulars. It turned out to be a Sage Sparrow with a gray head, a nice face pattern and a clear white throat and breast. The bird was foraging on the top of the main dirt piles with grass growing on them. By the time we got to where we could see it, it had dropped down into the blackberries and then came up and worked its way across the open area. It worked over the next area of debris and dirt. The bird was clearly nervous and would fly at the slightest event. When last seen, it was perched on a small tree back near the dirt piles and then dropped down into the blackberries. I saw Ollie Oliver later and he said that the bird came back up on the dirt piles and good views were obtained (and pictures I believe). Ollie stressed that the best way to see the bird was to sit quietly and the bird would come to you - if you approach it, it will fly. A great new bird for Marymoor, and continues the tradition of often finding a new bird when Michael is out of town.

Notable birds at Marymoor today were:
Great Horned Owl - early
Virginia Rail heard early
Savannah Sparrow - back in numbers - present all over the park
Pine Siskin - several today
Bald Eagle - pair at the nest - with one on the nest
Belted Kingfisher - early flyby
Marsh Wrens in full song
Wilson's Snipe - very close, about 15 feet - incredible views
Fox Sparrows - several singing
American Goldfinch - several bright males
Purple Finch - many singing in a variety of locations around the park, including at least one bright male
Anna's Hummingbird -a male at the current "usual" location south of the mansion
Rufous Hummingbird - a male, also at the current "usual" location just before going into the alder forest along the interpretive trail
American Kestrel - in east meadow
Northern Shrike - in the east meadow
Yellow-rumped Warbler - both Audubon and Myrtle
Winter Wren - one singing
Common Goldeneye - several lingering on the lake
Common Merganser - a few on the lake
Western Meadowlark - at least two at the east meadow
Sage Sparrow - at the dirt/compost piles
Green Heron - at the small rowing club pond
Orange-crowned Warbler - heard at the rowing club
Wood Duck - one male on river

Painted Turtles were back on the rowing club pond, a number of garter snakes were out in the sun and bullfrog was basking on a limb

All in all a great spring day at Marymoor - 58 species, one new for the year!

Brian H. Bell
Birding & Natural History Guide