Hey Tweets!

After an early lunch, I decided to see how many species I could pick up with the rest of the day in South King County. I've hopped on board with a 5 mile-radius birding plan this year, so today I stuck inside my circle, which meant no salt water. I still ended the half day with 71 species, which felt pretty productive, given the shortened time and range.

First, to clarify the Say's Phoebe sighting - it was on the North end of the trail, near the mouth itself, when I found it. Jeff Bryant got there an hour or so later and it was not relocated.

The spots, birds added (in the order added), and highlights:

Renton Natural Area: Dark-eyed Junco, Black-capped Chickadee, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Song Sparrow, American Crow, American Goldfinch, Bushtit, Bewick's Wren, Steller's Jay, Northern Flicker, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Fox Sparrow, Spotted Towhee, Pileated Woodpecker, Hutton's Vireo, Anna's Hummingbird, American Robin, House Finch, Pacific Wren, Golden-crowned Sparrow.

140th Street Ponds: Killdeer, Mallard, Bufflehead, Band-tailed Pigeon

Downtown Renton: Rock Pigeon

Gene Coulon Memorial Park: Mew Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Ring-billed Gull

May Creek Estuary: House Sparrow, Ring-necked Duck, Pied-billed Grebe, American Coot, Double-crested Cormorant, European Starling, Common Merganser, Hooded Oriole? Oh wait, Horned Grebe. Good lord, my handwriting. . . Gadwall, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Bald Eagle.

Cedar River Mouth: Say's Phoebe (flycatching on the fence and high up the buildings on the north end of the trail), Thayer's Gull, Herring Gull, California Gull, Common Goldeneye.

Black River Riparian Forest: Hermit Thrush (main path - been around for a week or so), Lesser Scaup, Green-winged Teal, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Brown Creeper, Red-tailed Hawk, Northern Shoveler, Great Blue Heron.

Southcenter Parkway: Canada Goose, Northern Pintail

Boeing Ponds: Red-winged Blackbird, Ruddy Duck, White-crowned Sparrow

204th/Frager: Lincoln's Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow (viewed with Janelle Henderson - we struggled with this skulky bird, but it had crisp streaking and a strong central spot on a clean white breast. The facial patterning was tough to see well, but also seemed to fit), Barn Owl (It has always seemed like it would be intrusive to ask, but Janelle and I were waved over and asked if we wanted to go through the barn to see the owl - how does one refuse offers like that??), American Wigeon, Eurasian Wigeon, Brewer's Blackbird, Cackling Goose, Marsh Wren. OH! and Black Phoebe - it's back.

212th ponds: Wilson's Snipe

Kent Ponds: Cooper's Hawk, Tree Swallow

Misses: Downy and Hairy Woodpecker, Hooded Merganser, California Scrub-Jay (how??), Belted Kingfisher, all the falcons, and Mountain Bluebird (okay, I was optimistic!)

Hope that leaves some good breadcrumbs for people that are headed out tomorrow! Spring's here!

Happy Birding,

Tim Brennan
Renton




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