Tweets -; the predawn mist lasted only a little while after our 8:00 a.m. start, and temps were in the low 40's, with no wind. A very pleasant day for birding. The park flooding has receded significantly, but closures of the south end of the Dog Area continued. So we ended up doing a lot of walking to get everywhere, without ever passing a closed-area boundary. The boardwalk is barely under water now, and only in a few spots. And it was quite birdy today.

Highlights:
a.. SNOW GOOSE -; lone juvenile on grass soccer fields with a flock of ~1000 Cackling Geese -; First of 2021
b.. Wood Duck -; at least one heard, predawn, along slough
c.. Northern Pintail -; flyover flock of 10 -; First of 2021
d.. Ring-necked Pheasant -; heard displaying several times
e.. Great Blue Heron -; about 20 visiting the heronry, plus several others
f.. Barn Owl -; Matt had two at the windmill just after 5:00 a.m.
g.. Hairy Woodpecker -; at least two (male and female)
h.. American Robins -; again ubiquitous
i.. Cedar Waxwing -; flock of 9 just south of the East Meadow
j.. Lincoln's Sparrow -; Matt had one from the Viewing Mound that then proved elusive -; First of 2021
k.. WHITE-THROATED SPARROW -; two flew up into a little tree sticking out of the blackberries, just south of the heronry. Thought they were Song Sparrow, but I looked anyway. Nice tan-stripe birds. First of 2021
l.. Western Meadowlark -; two near the Viewing Mound
m.. Yellow-rumped Warbler -; one at the Rowing Club
A late scan of the lake provided two HORNED GREBE and a pair of HOODED MERGANSERS. There were also a couple of Scaup sp. in the NE corner of the lake (would have been nicely visible from the East Lake Samm Trail).

Today's audible RING-NECKED PHEASANT for Week 3 means that species had at least one record for every week of the year, cumulatively. I believe that is our 49th species recorded at least once in all 53 weeks of the year. Several more species are very close to completing this feat.

Lots of singing today; two weeks ago there was singing, last week not so much. Today singing species included Virginia Rail (kidick-kidick predawn), Anna's Hummingbird, Black-capped Chickadee, Brown Creeper, Pacific Wren, Bewick's Wren, Song Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, and Red-winged Blackbird.

Misses today were just Cooper's Hawk (possibly glimpsed one) and Marsh Wren. We didn't have any Pine Siskin today; only the 3rd miss in the last 47 weeks.

For the day, 63 species + scaup sp. For the year, 71 species.

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

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