Carol and Tweeters:

I found the Redhead with a Lesser Scaup, 2 Horned Grebes, and a Northern Shoveler inside the Edmonds breakwater yesterday. They were near the fuel dock when I arrived but soon flew towards the south.

Ann Marie

Sent from my iPhone

> On Feb 7, 2014, at 6:17 PM, Carol Riddell <cariddellwa at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Birding has been a bit slow around Edmonds over the last several weeks. The two code 5 birds (Northern Mockingbird and Redhead) continued through the end of January. The Redhead may well be gone with the cold weather causing the still water to ice over. It was present as recently as February 4th but I haven't checked in the last three days. Our one code 4 bird (Western Meadowlark) is still seen from time to time in the Edmonds Bowl and along the beaches. The persistent sightings since late September lead one to the conclusion that this is one overwintering bird. A good code 3 bird (Brewer's Blackbird) for the Edmonds Bowl has persisted, moving between the Senior Center grounds and the dumpsters of one of the waterfront restaurants.
>
> January brought all three loons to Edmonds waters but sightings were sparse, as were numbers. Four to six Harlequin Ducks have been seen intermittently from Marina Beach. We have not seen them back on the marina breakwater. Shorebirds, other than the ever-present Killdeers, have been conspicuously absent. That is consistent with reports on Tweeters of low numbers this winter, perhaps due to the lack of standing water in farm fields. At this point, a Dunlin or a Sanderling would be a welcome sight. We still have not had a White-winged Scoter or Long-tailed Duck sighting. Winter sea ducks include Greater Scaup, Barrow's and Common Goldeneyes, Surf and Black Scoters, Red-breasted Mergansers, and Buffleheads. Fresh water ducks included Gadwall, Mallard, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, and Lesser Scaup. On the alcid scene, the Pigeon Guillemots are the most abundant and many are now in alternate plumage. Rhinoceros Auklets are seen in low but regular numbers. I think Brad Waggoner is hogging the Common Murres and Bonaparte's Gull in Kitsap County. Turn a few loose, Brad. We're hurting over here. Gulls include Glaucous-winged, Olympic hybrids, and Mews.
>
> To relieve the local boredom, I did a soft big day (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) within the Edmonds city limits on February 4th. It was cold, birds were keeping a low profile but I exceeded my expectations with 60 Edmonds species and another 8 on the Mount Lake Terrace portion of Lake Ballinger. High numbers included 53 Brants, 97 Western Grebes, and a raft of 11 Pacific Loons. Raptors were Cooper's and Red-tailed Hawk and two Bald Eagles (one adult; one juvenile). I found Pacific and Bewick's but no Marsh Wrens. There were three Varied Thrush to add to the Robin population. I found all three warblers: Yellow-rumped, Orange-crowned, and Townsend's. Among the expected Emberizidae finds was one Lincoln's Sparrow. My big miss was the woodpeckers. I couldn't even locate a Northern Flicker--all day long.
>
> Good birding,
>
> Carol Riddell
> Edmonds
>
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