Not at all a black Friday at Magnuson, rather a glistening palette of all the natural colors following a frigid overnight, with bright sunny skies and little to no breezes. Some of the ponds were partially frozen; most had thawed by mid-day. A non-workday Friday meant little vehicle traffic (though plenty of float planes) and lots of pedestrians out enjoying the park.
Winter waterfowl have not yet arrived in their usual numbers yet: singleton Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal and Greater Scaup to complement the somewhat larger groups of Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye and Common Merganser.
Western Grebe - several hundred in the usual flock mid-lake
Barn Owl - one was perched in the inside doorway of the "front porch box" on 62nd
Varied and Hermit Thrush were calling
Cedar Waxwing - one large flock of at least 60 birds flying north
Purple Finch - a few, foraging on the ground
White-throated Sparrow - only the third this year; with a couple of Golden-crowns
Townsend's Warbler - a female fly-catching and speed-gleaning at the very top of a tall Douglas Fir; must have been an insect swarm up there; she was as frenetic as a kinglet!
For the day, 47 species; misses: no geese, coots or hummingbirds.
Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S61851764 <https://ebird.org/checklist/S61851764>
Scott Ramos
Seattle
Magnuson Park hotspots: http://tinyurl.com/mvftzl6 <http://tinyurl.com/mvftzl6>

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