Tweets -; It was sunny but cold this morning, with fog enough to create a problem or two, but mostly a nice morning. We were only 4 people for the bulk of the walk, though there were a couple of others for owling only. Even with the small group, we attempted to hold to the 6-foot rule. It did eventually warm up, but spring always seems so slow to arrive.
Highlights:
a.. Cackling Goose -; only about 30, in a single flyover flock after the walk
b.. Anna's Hummingbird -; Kazuto showed me an occupied nest near the start of the boardwalk
c.. Rufous Hummingbird -; we found a female at a nest a the Rowing Club
d.. TURKEY VULTURE -; two over the mansion heading north -; First of Year
e.. Barn Owl -; saw a couple of times as late as about 7am, from the Viewing Mound
f.. Western Screech-Owl -; Kazuto waited near the nest box (east end of the boardwalk) and saw one after 6:30 a.m.
g.. MERLIN -; quick flyby south of the Pea Patch -; First of Year
h.. American Crow -; much gathering of nesting materials
i.. Hermit Thrush -; one at the Rowing Club
j.. Varied Thrush -; at least one heard singing over at the Rowing Club, but heard from across the slough
k.. European Starling -; seen copulating
l.. Western Meadowlark -; three in East Meadow
Pre-dawn was gorgeous, with Saturn, Mars, and we think Mercury, then a really bright shooting star, and then the crescent moon rising.
Turns out we should not have been surprised to see TURKEY VULTURE, as this week ties Week 39 (end of September) for most sightings for any week of the year.
Misses today included Ring-necked Duck, Mew Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Northern Shike, Violet-green Swallow, Marsh Wren, American Goldfinch, Savannah Sparrow, and White-crowned Sparrow.
I hope to get Say's Phoebe, Mountain Bluebird, and Savannah Sparrow later this week.
For the day, even with the long list of "misses", we still managed 60 species.
= Michael Hobbs
= www.marymoor.org/birding.htm
=
BirdMarymoor at gmail.com
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