Tweets,



The Renton Burrowing Owl is the 4th record for King County (according to my
records). Dates all tend to be about the time Burrowing Owls would be
returning to nest on the east side, so they are likely displaced spring
migrants.



1978 Feb. 19-26, Magnuson Park

1994 Mar. 10, downtown Seattle, captured and released

2008 Apr. 10, Marymoor Park

2010 Mar. 17-18+, Renton



Gene Hunn

Lake Forest Park

enhunn323 at comcast.net



From: tweeters-bounces at mailman2.u.washington.edu
[mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman2.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Paul
Webster
Sent: Thursday, March 18, 2010 6:35 PM
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Subject: [Tweeters] Burrowing Owl in Renton plus South King County



Hi Tweets,



At Seattle Audubon today Barbara fielded a call from a US Postal Service
employee in Renton who reported a small owl in a tree adjacent to the Post
Office on Williams Street, just off Third Avenue. Barbara and I drove down
there and found a Burrowing Owl in the tree. The bird has been there for two
days, and didn't appear stressed or injured, just sleepy, though it watched
us as we watched it for several minutes. We told the postal workers what
they had been looking at, and thanked them for reporting it. This bird is
surely a migrant and will probably leave soon.



We didn't find the Say's Phoebe near Emerald Downs, but the ponds there
featured a few Canada Geese (large flock of c. 500 geese overhead) and
dabblers: Mallards, shovelers, pintail, and Green-winged Teal. At the Boeing
Ponds the water was pretty deep; we found Bufflehead, coot, Ruddy Duck,
Pied-billed Grebe, and Mallards. Around the pond we found Yellow-rumped
Warbler, White-crowned Sparrow, junco, House Finch, with several Tree
Swallows and a single Violet-green Swallow overhead, the latter our first
this season.



On South 204th we found an American Kestrel perched on the fence of the oval
horse track, and a single Greater Yellowlegs by the pond north of the road.
Spring seems just around the corner!



Paul and Barbara Webster

Seattle

paul.webster AT comcast.net