SAS Birdathon Big Day

Seattle, Washington, on foot and by bus

Sunday, May 2, 2010

The weather prediction was for cold rain and wind. We got the cold and some
wind but, thankfully, no rain. The hardcore owling group met at the
Discovery Park Visitor Center at 5 AM, the crack of dawn. We hiked up the
long staircase to the "500 area," then angled north toward the loop trail
above the North Parking lot, hooting sporadically. Despite low expectations,
we heard a distant response, then drew in a pair that went berserk, with the
full "song" and the rising cackle, plus other scary noises. It was by then
light enough to see them well as they came in to investigate this intrusion.
Later that morning we flushed one of the owls near the Day Break Star Indian
Center which cooperated for leisurely scope studies.

At 6 AM we regrouped with the full complement, ten strong, despite the chill
air. We set off for the South Meadow, West Point, then back via the loop
trail. We struggled mightily all morning to dig out the birds we knew must
be there, but the cold shut things down, except for the irrepressible robins
and goldfinches, in full song, and a close study of an adult Cooper's Hawk.
We had a bit of luck at West Point, sheltering from the brisk chill wind
from the south, including a pair of Marbled Murrelets, a migrating Pacific
Loon, and an early Caspian Tern. To illustrate the challenge we faced, we
found not single Yellow-rumped Warbler, though the day before there were too
many to count.

By 11:30 we were ready to hike down to the Ballard locks and our lunch stop
at the Lock Spot tavern. By then, we had fallen far behind our record pace
of last year and were resigned to doing the best we could in the face of the
weather. Caught the #44 bus at 1:30 through Ballard to the U district, hiked
across the campus to the Montlake Fill, where we added swallows, Vaux's
Swift, and a nice variety of ducks. Skunked on shore birds, however, ending
the day with just a pair of Killdeer.

Desperate to eke out just a few more species that should have been
conspicuous; I played my iPod to draw out a Virginia Rail, a Marsh Wren,
and, last bird of the day, an agitated Golden-crowned Kinglet. At this point
we conceded the battle to the harsh weather and bussed our way back to
Discovery Park via Seattle Center. Miraculously, our every bus connection
was on the minute, and my several bus legs cost just $0.75 for the day (with
my senior discount).We closed the loop at 6 PM, having hiked maybe 12 miles
and driven zero miles from the start, with rides on the #44, #30, and #33
buses.

Intrepid observers: Gene Hunn, Leigh Bell, Harriet Cody, Tom Fagnan, George
Gerdts, Jennifer & Jerry Kaufman, Brien Meilleur, Harvey Sadis, Mark Wolff.

Final tally, 91 species seen by at least two team members (including two
added after the formal close of business), including 8 heard only. List
attached.









Brant 22

Canada Goose 10

Gadwall 50

American Wigeon 25

Mallard 10

Cinnamon Teal 1 male

Northern Shoveler 25

Green-winged Teal 25

Ring-necked Duck 5

Lesser Scaup 25

Harlequin Duck 2

Surf Scoter 20

White-winged Scoter 2

Bufflehead 100

Barrow's Goldeneye 5

Common Merganser 2

Red-breasted Merganser 7

Pacific Loon 1

Common Loon 1

Pied-billed Grebe 3

Horned Grebe 6

Red-necked Grebe 1

Western Grebe 3

Double-crested Cormorant 6

Great Blue Heron 8

Osprey 3

Bald Eagle 5

Cooper's Hawk 1

Red-tailed Hawk 2

Merlin 1

Virginia Rail 5

American Coot 25

Mew Gull 50

Glaucous-winged Gull 25

Caspian Tern 5

Pigeon Guillemot 10

Marbled Murrelet 2

Rhinoceros Auklet 3

Rock Pigeon 10

Barred Owl 2

Vaux's Swift 10

Anna's Hummingbird 6

Rufous Hummingbird 2

Belted Kingfisher 1

Red-breasted Sapsucker heard

Downy Woodpecker 3

Northern Flicker 10

Pileated Woodpecker heard

Hammond's Flycatcher 1

Pacific-slope Flycatcher 10 heard

Hutton's Vireo 2

Warbling Vireo heard

Steller's Jay 3

American Crow 50

Tree Swallow 10

Violet-green Swallow 7

Northern Rough-winged Swallow 1

Cliff Swallow 15

Barn Swallow 25

Black-capped Chickadee 25

Chestnut-backed Chickadee 10

Bushtit 6, nest

Red-breasted Nuthatch 3, heard

Brown Creeper 10, singing

Bewick's Wren 5

Winter Wren 2, heard

Marsh Wren 1

Golden-crowned Kinglet 2

American Robin 100

European Starling 50

Orange-crowned Warbler 20

Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler 15

Yellow-rumped (Audubon's) Warbler 6

Black-throated Gray Warbler 5

Common Yellowthroat 2

Wilson's Warbler 1, heard

Western Tanager 1, heard

Spotted Towhee 20

Savannah Sparrow 20

Song Sparrow 10

White-crowned Sparrow 15, pugetensis

Golden-crowned Sparrow 8

Dark-eyed Junco 5, heard

Red-winged Blackbird 10

Brewer's Blackbird 3

Brown-headed Cowbird 5

House Finch 20

Pine Siskin 10

American Goldfinch 50

House Sparrow 5



River Otter 5