Subject: [Tweeters] King County Saturday May 12
Date: May 12 20:52:39 2007
From: Eugene and Nancy Hunn - enhunn323 at comcast.net


Tweets,

Brien Meilleur and I birded Discovery Park this morning and Kent-Auburn this afternoon and retired by 6 PM with 106 birds on the list. Good preparation for tomorrow's Birdathon Big Day.

Some highlights include Western Wood Pewees at Discovery Park and Kent, a Marbled Murrelet off West Point, a Red Crossbill near the chapel at DP, a Solitary Sandpiper on 204th St. Kent, an American Bittern at the Green River NRA and a male Lazuli Bunting there as well, along with the chat.

We had two groups of a dozen dowitchers, one at the 212th St. construction ponds and the other at Emerald Downs. I'm sure they must be Long-billed Dowitchers but you sure couldn't tell by looking at them, nor by listening to them. They were completed silent at all times despite feeding actively and flushing briefly a couple of times. According to the guides, Long-billed Dows are supposed to chatter incessantly while flock feeding. I've noticed this in fall with juveniles. They also were mostly heavily spotted on the sides of the breast, as if they were Short-billeds. Otherwise they varied a great deal in the intensity of the color of the underparts, much of this likely due to how far along they were in acquiring alternate plumage. The palest birds retained worn winter flight feathers and a smattering of basic coverts. The brightest were what I would call orangish-rufous, but quite a bit paler under the tail and in the center of the belly. The tail barring varied from the white bands a bit wider to the black bands a bit wider. The primary tips fell mostly a bit shy of the tail tip. I did not know about the Short-billed's supposed kinked bill at the time so didn't notice that. In short, they showed several characteristics one might expect from the guides for a West Coast Short-billed in alternate plumage, though the habitat and timing certainly favor Long-billed. Go figure.

Gene Hunn
18476 47th Pl. NE
Lake Forest Park, WA 98155
enhunn323 at comcast.net