Subject: [Tweeters] Edmonds Roundup
Date: May 5 15:51:10 2014
From: Carol Riddell - cariddellwa at gmail.com


Up until today, migration in Edmonds has seemed quite underwhelming. Neotropic migrants have been passing through, but in anemic numbers. Then this morning (5-5-14) we had a mini-fallout of seven Western Tanagers near the Willow Creek Hatchery. The tanagers were eye candy for the three of us watching them. We also watched five California Gulls fly overhead. This is a late appearance for them in Edmonds.

Neotropic migrants that have been reported over the last two weeks, in various parts of the Edmonds Bowl, including Common Yellowthroat, Wilson's Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Cassin's Vireo, Hammond's Flycatcher, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, and Black-headed Grosbeak.

The Edmonds Marsh has been populated with continuing small numbers of Least and Western Sandpipers. We have yet to see a Semipalmated Plover. I walked north of the ferry dock to the beach at the Shell Creek outlet on a couple of the minus tides recently, looking for shorebirds or gulls of interest, and found none. Approximately 200 Brants have been continuing to bulk up on eel grass and sea lettuce. The Black Scoters seem to have left for the summer or may just be making rare appearances. There have been a few sightings near the public pier of Marbled Murrelets in alternate plumage. On one recent day there was a Common Loon in complete alternate plumage near Shell Creek and a Pacific Loon still transitioning into alternate between the pier and the ferry dock. An interesting first sight for me the other day was an Osprey atop a snag in Yost Park, tearing away at a fish.

I did some scoping of the waterfront this afternoon as the weather improved significantly. The only ducks I saw were Surf Scoters and the only cormorant I noticed was a Pelagic Cormorant--one. The Common Loom that is in alternate plumage is still there. I was surprised to see five Pacific Loons, all in alternate. There were Horned Grebes, in small numbers, both north and south of the ferry dock. I found one Red-necked and one Western Grebe. Alcids were the expected Pigeon Guillemots and Rhinoceros Auklets. I finally found one Marbled Murrelet. There were few gulls out but I did get to watch one Caspian Tern catch a small fish and then fly off to find a suitable lunch spot. I counted 176 Brants from Sunset Avenue.

We are at 133 species for the year.

Carol Riddell
Edmonds, Wa