The clear cold weather continues: 20 degrees to start the morning, 30 at the end. But, no wind and lots of sun early made for good birding and good views of many sun-dappled birds. With the long spell of sub-freezing temperatures, even Promontory Pond, the largest in the park, was over 90% frozen. And the meadows remain crunchy although by mid-day some areas had returned to mud. The special bird of the winter, a flock of Bohemian Waxwings, continues as there are plenty of hawthorn berries. Amazing that the city wants to remove the hawthorns as they are ?non-native?. Without this resource, it is unlikely the waxwings would stick around. Although there were many misses today, there were plenty of notables.

Eurasian Wigeon - at least 1 male continues with the AMWI flock which is close to 200 birds
Scaup - good numbers, close to 200, with a ratio of about 4:1 Greater:Lesser
Red-necked Grebe - one; have been hard to find this year
Bald Eagle - a couple; one fly-by early put all the wigeons into the air
Red-tailed Hawk - a gorgeous immature bird: https://flic.kr/p/QVFU2S
Barn Owl - one calling early from near the buildings; considering nesting?
Short-eared Owl - meadows
Red-breasted Sapsucker - traditional location in the spruce tree at the south end
Bohemian Waxwing - at least 3 visible in the early morning sun, feeding on hawthorns along the main drag: https://flic.kr/p/QNBDnr
Sparrows - a huge (~100) mixed flock of White-crowns and Golden-crowns moving between the p-patch and the one grassy spot of the dog park
Western Meadowlark - a pair continue, in the sportsfield: https://flic.kr/p/QNBCje

For the day, 57 species.
Scott Ramos
Seattle