Tweets ? Mostly cloudy and a bit breezy, and QUIET. We?re pretty much into the post-breeding lull; birds have left the park, and not much has moved in. Really noticeable change from last week, though some of what we missed today might just have been that we missed them.

Highlights:
a.. Rufous Hummingbird ? two at south end of Dog Meadow, after zero last 2 weeks
b.. Spotted Sandpiper ? at least 1 adult, at least 2 babies, at weir
c.. Great Blue Heron ? could only see 2-3 still-active nests in the heronry
d.. Osprey ? especially numerous; young may have fledged from both nearby nests
e.. Cooper?s Hawk ? Dog meadow, caught *something* that was approximately robin-sized
f.. Barn Owl ? As late as 5:10 in the East Meadow
g.. WESTERN SCREECH-OWL ? baby just SE of East Footbridge!
h.. Hairy Woodpecker ? flew across Dog Meadow
i.. MERLIN ? flew low over boardwalk, causing consternation amongst swallows
j.. BANK SWALLOW ? one from Lake Platform
Brian and I found the WESTERN SCREECH-OWL in precisely one of the places adult Screech were frequently seen this spring (near the old ?willow? interpretive sign). It was fledged, but still in juvenile plumage, very similar to this photo from Paws: http://paws-seattle.typepad.com/.a/6a0120a5ed5e54970b01a511ee1bd9970c-pi I believe this makes the baby somewhere in the 4-6 week-old range. We did not see an adult nearby, but as it was still very dark, there may well have been one. Given that we had a pair of adult Screech-Owls well into May, and now (at a date just perfect for incubation+fledging) we have a juvenile, it appears highly likely that they nested in that immediate area!

At the Lake Platform, we stood around for AT LEAST 10 minutes, with no sign of any PURPLE MARTINS. Then, just as we were about to leave, two emerged from the gourd(s), surprising us all.

The really notable thing today was all of the species we didn?t find, or where the numbers were WAY down from last week. We had only a single WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, and that was heard-only. Misses included Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Purple Finch (might have heard one), Yellow Warbler and Yellow-rumped Warbler (or indeed any warbler besides Common Yellowthroat), Black-headed Grosbeak !!!, Lazuli Bunting, and Brown-headed Cowbird.

On the mammal front, Brian and I had myotis sp. bats from the boardwalk.

For the day, just 54 species.

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