Subject: [Tweeters] A Tweeters request (and birding in the toxic zone)
Date: Jan 7 21:09:50 2011
From: Jim Flynn - merlinmania at comcast.net




Dan, Hal et al .,



Can we please add global warming to the short list of banned subjects on tweeters?? The last thing we need is more heated discussions and nary a mention of birds...



I know some ninny will mention how important this is to birds. I don't say it's not - just that its one of those subjects that will make everyone here more crazy than normal. Myself included.



Please? No really. Pretty please?


*Mandatory Bird Content*

"Birding in the Toxic Zone" is what I have come to call my recent efforts to see what birds are using the Duwamish River area of Seattle. A friend scoffed recently at my attempts to find birds there, but I've actually found it a surprisingly birdy area, and not just for waterbirds (mutant or otherwise). Today I checked T-105 park and Herring House Park. Waterbirds were a bit more common than last month; today's list included:

GADWALL - 4

COMMON GOLDENEYE - 3

BARROW'S GOLDENEYE - 20

RED-BREASTED MERGANSER - 12

WESTERN GREBE - 2

DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT - 12

MEW GULL - 6

GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL - 4



It was the passerines that surprised me today. In the past few months I have been surprised to find Varied Thrush and Yellow-rumped Warbler several times each. Today I had 5 species of sparrow (6 if you count Towhee).

FOX SPARROW - 6

LINCOLN'S SPARROW - 1

WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW - 2

GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW - 5

SONG SPARROW - 4



Even more surprising was a PURPLE FINCH - it may have come from the greenbelt on the hill to the west. They are uncommon but present throughout SW Seattle. Other nice finds for such an urban, industrial landscape were 1-2 HERMIT THRUSHES, 5 MYRTLE WARBLERS and several GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS .



Thanks to all of the dedicated people who have done habitat restoration and toxics cleanup helping to bring bird life back to this normally forgotten place.



good birding,


Jim Flynn
Seattle, WA



*Mandatory Bird Content*

"Birding in the Toxic Zone" is what I have come to call my recent efforts to see what birds are using the Duwamish River area of Seattle. A friend scoffed recently at my attempts to find birds there, but I've actually found it a surprisingly birdy area, and not just for waterbirds (mutant or otherwise). Today I checked T-105 park and Herring House Park. Waterbirds were a bit more common than last month; today's list included:

GADWALL - 4

COMMON GOLDENEYE - 3

BARROW'S GOLDENEYE - 20

RED-BREASTED MERGANSER - 12

WESTERN GREBE - 2

DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT - 12

MEW GULL - 6

GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL - 4



It was the passerines that surprised me today. In the past few months I have been surprised to find Varied Thrush and Yellow-rumped Warbler several times each. Today I had 5 species of sparrow (6 if you count Towhee).

FOX SPARROW - 6

LINCOLN'S SPARROW - 1

WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW - 2

GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW - 5

SONG SPARROW - 4



Even more surprising was a PURPLE FINCH - it may have come from the greenbelt on the hill to the west. They are uncommon but present throughout SW Seattle. Other nice finds for such an urban, industrial landscape were 1-2 HERMIT THRUSHES, 5 MYRTLE WARBLERS and several GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS .



Thanks to all of the dedicated people who have done habitat restoration and toxics cleanup helping to bring bird life back to this normally forgotten place.



good birding,


Jim Flynn
Seattle, WA