Tweets ? a glorious, fabulous day under clear skies and comfortable temps. Biggest news was a juvenile RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, a new bird for the park, our 233rd species!

Highlights:

Green Heron 2 adults at Rowing Club, juvenile along slough
Cooper?s Hawk Many sightings - 2+ juveniles
RED-SHOULDERED HAWK Juvenile
Spotted Sandpiper Adult(s) and a downy baby
GREATER YELLOWLEGS 1 heard flying over the slough
Barn Owl 2+ flying East Meadow ~5am, another heard at windmill
Western Screech-Owl Great looks near start of boardwalk, 4:50 a.m.
Vaux?s Swift Higher numbers than usual - ~15
Pileated Woodpecker 2 NW of park entrance
Tree Swallow Still a couple, though gourd nest babies have fledged
O.-crowned Warbler Quite a few (~5)
Yellow Warbler Adults and downy fledglings
Bl.-thr. Gray Warbler 3, including an adult male

As we started out from the parking lot at 6:00 a.m., we heard what we thought might be a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, and managed to glimpse a bird we discounted as a juvenile Red-tail. We really should have tried harder to track down the bird, though, as its call had a gull-like quality typical of RSHA. But later, as we walked back to our cars along the edge of grass fields 7-8-9, there was a hawk sitting on a short light pole. Perched, it appeared possible for juvenile Red-tail, but as soon as it took off, it showed brilliant white crescents near the wingtips. As it flew away, it often used a flap-flap-flap-glide that was not as powerful as a Red-tail?s flight. As it started to soar, it gave us great looks, showing the white wing crescents, wings that ?reached forward? while soaring, reddish underwing coverts with NO patagial marks, no belly band, very dark primary tips, and a longer heavily-banded tail. We were able to watch the bird for several minutes as it soared higher and higher. Unfortunately, it apparently left the park heading west.

The GREATER YELLOWLEGS called several times from over the slough. Unfortunately, we were in the East Meadow at the time. The same thing happened last week.

Misses today included Rock Pigeon, Rufous Hummingbird, Warbling Vireo, Wilson?s Warbler, Red-winged Blackbird, and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Tuesday, there were not one but TWO downy SPOTTED SANDPIPERS at the weir (I hope we just missed the other one this morning), some ROCK PIGEONS, a juvenile RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER, a PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER near dog beach#2, and a male LAZULI BUNTING in the grasses in the Dog Meadow east of dog beach #2. There was still one baby GREAT BLUE HERON on the nest, and the TREE SWALLOWS were actively feeding young at the lake gourd. Later that day, Kazuto Shibata had a NORTHERN HARRIER, a new species for the year.

So for the day, 60 species. For the week, 65 species. Adding Northern Harrier and Red-shouldered Hawk, we?re up to at least 140 species for the year.

== Michael Hobbs
== www.marymoor.org/birding.htm
== BirdMarymoor at frontier.com