Hi Tweets-
Michael is out of town, so Brian Bell, Sharon Cormier-Aagaard, Grace & Ollie Oliver, Patti North and I were on our own for the weekly Marymoor walk today -- It is definitely summertime, warm weather, with fewer birds singing, large numbers of young birds, and a few surprises.

Highlights:
6 species of warbler [notably high for Marymoor at this time of year] - included a young male Black-throated Gray Warbler, 2 sightings of Wilson's Warbler males, a Yellow-rumped Warbler [maybe young?], along with a heard only Orange-crowned Warbler, several singing Yellow Warblers and a bunch of Common Yellowthroat family groups all over the place.

Least Sandpiper - one at weir - Marymoor is notably shorebird-poor, so we'll take any sighting of shorebird we get beyond our Killdeer [missed today] and winter Wilson's Snipe.
Spotted Sandpiper - saw one adult again at the weir -- we suspect them to be breeding below the weir.

Lazuli Bunting - a female feeding two young in snag row, behind the portapotty at the east end -

Cooper's Hawk - one carrying prey as it flew across the slough early. Another sighting [same bird?] near Pea Patch late, stirring up the swallows

Bullock's Oriole - one male was seen well for a bit, no sign of young ones.

Barn Owl - heard one young at windmill early, glimpses of one flying around east meadow a bit before dawn.


Young birds of the year seen included: Mallard, Hooded Merganser, Great Blue Heron, Red-tailed Hawk, Band-tailed Pigeon, Barn Owl, Rufous Hummingbird, Red-breasted Sapsucker, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, American Robin,Cedar Waxwing, Common Yellowthroat, Spotted Towhee, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Black-headed Grosbeak, Lazuli Bunting, Brown-headed Cowbird.

Overall I think we had 59 species on the day.

Matt Bartels
Seattle, WA