June has been a slow month for adding birds to the Edmonds year list. We have had one code 5 sighting, a Franklin?s Gull off the waterfront on May 31st. A Blue-winged Teal drake, code 3, showed up at the Edmonds marsh on the evening of June 2nd. Heermann?s Gulls, code 1, returned to Edmonds waters on June 10th, neither early nor late.

It started to look like Purple Martins would establish a new colony in the nest boxes we placed on the pilings just south of the ferry dock, but they moved on. A little over a year ago we installed five nest boxes in the marsh, hoping to attract at least one pair of Tree Swallows. We did have a nesting pair last year and a pair is nesting in the same box used last year. That box is best seen from the viewing platform near the tennis courts. The box just to the left of the main viewing platform is occupied by a pair of Violet-green Swallows.

The first southbound shorebird migrant, a Greater Yellowlegs (code 3), was in the marsh yesterday, June 27th. Today two Least Sandpipers were present at mid-day. We are hoping for a more interesting southbound migration as spring shorebird migration was pretty sparse. Other than that, there has been a lot of nesting activity around Edmonds parks, as is going on everywhere else.

We are at 153 species for the year. Species on our collective list are noted in the bird information display box at the Olympic Beach Visitor Station at the base of the public pier. If you would like a copy of the current Edmonds checklist, please request it at checklistedmonds at gmail.com <mailto:checklistedmonds at gmail.com>.

Carol Riddell
Edmonds, WA

Abundance codes: (1) Common, (2) Uncommon, (3) Harder to find, usually seen annually, (4) Rare, 5+ records, (5) Fewer than 5 records