Well, we knew from the forecast that it would be wet today, and we were not disappointed. I was wet. It was dark. Thankfully, it wasn?t windy. Five of us slogged around, and we managed to do pretty well despite the weather, but I?m glad I also went yesterday to flesh out the week?s list.

Highlights:

Western Grebe Quite a few (for us) out on the lake
Mew Gull Five adults on fields 7-8-9. First of Fall
Merlin Flew east over climbing rock
Northern Shrike Adult, East Meadow, later north of 7-8-9.
Y.-rumped Warbler Dozens, with possibly a majority being Myrtle?s
WH.-THR. SPARROW Two different tan-stripe birds near portapotties ? FOF
Western Meadowlark Six north of Compost Piles

We also saw the three RIVER OTTERS in the weir below the slough.

YESTERDAY, late afternoon, under gorgeous sunny skies, I had some birds we didn?t have today.
a.. A NORTHERN HARRIER appeared to be coming in for a landing somewhere south of the boardwalk.

b.. In the Big Cottonwood Forest south of the dog area, I spotted a RED-BREASTED x RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER, with black trim below the red on the breast, with black on the nape, and a very bold white bar on the face. The head was red from the bill all the way back to the nape, however, with no black eyeline extending behind the head, and no black on the face.

c.. The NORTHERN SHRIKE was in the south end of the East Meadow yesterday, First of Fall

d.. There were two birds that I finally listed as SWAINSON?S THRUSH, at the south end of the Dog Meadow. I spent a lot of time looking, since they are very uncommon this late in the fall (right on the edge of unbelievable). But these birds had large buffy eye rings, a definite buffy wash behind the upper breast spots, spots that were not black, but dark reddish-brown, malar streaks that were also not black, and no contrast between back and tail coloration (i.e. the tails were not comparatively red). I also think I heard Swainson?s-like ?whit? calls from them. Arguing against SWTH was that I couldn?t really detect buffy supraloral stripes that would have turned the eye rings into a more spectacled look. Also, they had fairly white lower bellies (though the did have dusky flanks). Posture and also seemed right for SWTH, but that?s pretty subjective.
For today, 45 species (which I think was pretty good, considering the weather). For yesterday, 46 species between 2-4 p.m., plus the hybrid sapsucker. Combined total: 54 species.

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