Tweets -; It was bitterly cold, but sunny, when I arrived just after 8. Within an hour, clouds rolled in, and the temperature rose but stayed below freezing. Away from the slough, birding was very quiet. I quickly learned to look in any bare patches under trees, as that's where the passerines were. In the first of those sunny bare patches was a SONG SPARROW puffed up spherically. It was asleep (which became apparent when it startled awake as I approached). In the second was an almost insensate BARRED OWL. It was almost certainly hypothermic and was very far gone. I didn't really have anyway to help it, and I hoped that the bright sun would warm it. Unfortunately not; when I checked on it later, it had succumbed. I'm afraid many other birds have perished in the cold overnight.

Highlights:

* Greater White-fronted Goose -; lone adult NE of the mansion next to a picnic table in a small patch of bare grass
* Northern Shoveler -; male seen on lake -; First of Year (FOY)
* 11 species of duck total
* Wilson's Snipe -; 5-7 below weir
* Ring-billed Gull -; one at lake
* BARRED OWL -; see note above -; FOY
* Northern Shrike -; singing/calling from NE of Fields 7-8-9
* Bushtit -; flock of around 15 near stage
* Varied Thrush -; one flyover
* American Goldfinch -; 2 near start of boardwalk
* Western Meadowlark -; one under a tree near concert ticket booth
* Yellow-rumped Warbler -; at least 2 at Rowing Club, one of which appeared to be a Myrtle x Audubon's intergrade

For the day, 61 species, including seven species not seen last Thursday. For the year, adding Northern Shoveler and Barred Owl, we're at 81 species.

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