Hello Tweets,
I visited the Larsen Lake area in Bellevue this morning from 8:00-9:00 a.m. and met Michael Hobbs. We saw a flock of Common Redpolls near the Boys and Girls Club but could not say that any of them was a Hoary Redpoll. I remember remarking how dark they looked, but the early morning light was not good today.
However, I returned with my friend Carol this afternoon around 3:30 p.m.and did not see a flock of any size, but in the birch tree at the NE corner of Larsen Lake was a single bird that I am convinced was a female Hoary Redpoll. We both had frontal and side scope views as it perched and moved a bit for over five minutes. It was clearly very white on the belly, flanks and undertail. There was no pink on the chest. It was buffy around the sides near the chest. The bill was very small and yellow and Carol noticed that the black under the chin extended back to the eye. I did not notice the rump as it flew off around the tree to the north. It was a fairly plump bird overall and stood out on the branch as we looked at the tree.
It was a life bird sighting for me, and I did my best to be objective. The bird met the criteria as presented in both Sibley and the National Geographic guides. It would be great to get further confirmation from other birders.
Andy McCormick
Bellevue, WA