Tweets -

Today's best find was Michael Hobbs, returned from a trip to Ecuador - he hadn't been back many hours, though, so I'm still pinch-hitting with the report.

Today was a bit of a slow day with a couple good finds mixed in -- our numbers, both people and birds, were down -- WOS Conference & rain both aided with that. The rain was never driving, but it only let up for short bursts -- the birds mostly stayed hidden, and a lot of our 'sightings' were heard-only birds.

Notable sightings:

Great Blue Heron - still many young at nests in the cottonwoods - I counted at least 9 still up there, including one nest with either 3 or 4 crowded together and squabbling over space.

Hammond's Flycatcher - as with last week, there was one singing over at the Rowing Club

Red-eyed Vireo - heard one today near east end of the forest

Orange-crowned Warbler - 1 singing again , not normally a breeding season bird at Marymoor, though not unprecedented.

Black-throated Gray Warbler - one male at the Rowing Club - If I read the records correctly, this is the first June sighting for Marymoor! We get them in the spring, until ~the 3rd week in May, we get them in the fall beginning in August, and we've had them twice in mid-July. But never before in June. Not a rare bird elsewhere, but rare here at Marymoor in breeding season.

Misses for the day:
We missed a lot -- the rain had us moving quicker than usual, no doubt -- Misses included: Canada Goose!, Barn Swallow, Bullock's Oriole [on nest maybe?], & Purple Finch.

For the day, 53 species.

Good birding,

Matt Bartels
Seattle, WA