Subject: [Tweeters] Magnuson Park, 15 April 2016
Date: Apr 15 20:17:21 2016
From: Scott Ramos - lsr at ramoslink.info


Sort of a blustery day, starting in the upper 40s and never getting much warmer. Glassing the lake was almost useless, but, fortunately, interesting birds stayed close to shore anyway. Activity inland was not as frenetic as last week was, in the sun. Still, a couple of new birds for me this year, plus some unexpected behaviors, including a Mallard pulling an earthworm out of the ground, Robin-like.

Green-winged Teal - a dozen, including a couple of males strutting their courtship behavior
Ring-necked Duck - a solitary female in the wetlands
Lesser Scaup - half a dozen holding out
Common Merganser - a pair flying past in a hurry
Common Loon - 3 in full breeding plumage, making a couple of circles high over the park, calling the whole time!
Osprey - the pair are back; one was seen carrying a fish, backwards, yet the crows were still harassing it; later, one was carrying a stick the size of a baseball bat
Cooper?s Hawk - an adult male flew into the wetlands, in rather deep brush above one of the hidden ponds, when a female Mallard started complaining as two of her recently hatched ducklings scurried to cover
Bald Eagle - harassed by 2 Mew Gulls
Wilson?s Snipe - a few calling early
California Gull - 1, on the swim platform, the only non-Mew, non-Glaucous-winged Gull today
Caspian Tern - 4 on the swim platform
Barn Owl - a couple, west meadow
Rufous Hummingbird - FOY
Hutton?s Vireo - a couple still near Promontory Point, singing
Bushtit - half a dozen; one pair almost finished with their nest at the Entrance Pond
Hermit Thrush - giving its waay call
Orange-crowned Warbler - several singing
Common Yellowthroat - 1 singing

For the day, 60 species; with OSPR, RUHU and HETH new, 96 species for the year.
Checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S28965985 <http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S28965985>
Scott Ramos
Seattle