Hi Tweeters,

Below is a summary Alex Sowers and I compiled for Montlake Fill in 2021.
The list represents all credible reports from the year.

Notables:

(Species in italics are particularly rare.)


-

Tundra Swan - 2/6
-

Ross's Goose - 4/28
-

Ring-necked Duck x Lesser Scaup Hybrid - 3/25, and returned on 12/2



-

Black-bellied Plover - 5/1
-

Semipalmated Plover - 9/15, 9/20, 9/27
-

Whimbrel - 5/20
-

Sanderling - 12/7 (second ever Fill record)
-

Short-billed Dowitcher - 7/18
-

Wilson's Phalarope - 5/12, 5/17, 5/22, 6/21



-

Parasitic Jaeger - 9/17 (second ever Fill record)



-

Sabine's Gull - 9/11 (first ever Fill record)
-

Franklin's Gull - 5/6
-

Western Gull - 11/20
-

Common Tern - 9/7



-

Pacific Loon - 10/30



-

American White Pelican - 5/8



-

Great Egret - 5/28
-

Black-crowned Night-Heron - 8/25



-

Red-shouldered Hawk - 9/6
-

Swainson's Hawk - 5/2, 5/4, 5/10



-

Barn Owl - 3/12, 10/8
-

Great Horned Owl - 3/9, 9/11
-

Short-eared Owl - 10/18, 10/24



-

Olive-sided Flycatcher - 5/26, 8/28
-

Dusky Flycatcher - 5/8
-

Black Phoebe - 8/13, 8/26
-

Say's Phoebe - 3/6



-

Cassin's Vireo - 9/8
-

Red-eyed Vireo - 6/4, 6/11



-

Loggerhead Shrike - 5/4



-

Horned Lark - 11/3



-

Bank Swallow - 5/11, 9/7, 9/9



-

Mountain Bluebird - 4/9



-

Common Redpoll - 12/5, 12/21, 12/29
-

Lesser Goldfinch - 5/2, 6/9, 10/8, 11/9 (first ever Fill record)
-

Pine Grosbeak - 12/28 (first ever Fill record)



-

Lapland Longspur - 10/13
-

Snow Bunting - 3/18



-

Clay-colored Sparrow - 9/24
-

Brewer's Sparrow - 4/14
-

American Tree Sparrow - 3/2, 11/1, 11/13
-

Vesper Sparrow - 9/17
-

Swamp Sparrow - 11/24, 12/13



-

Palm Warbler - 9/17, 9/26, 11/21, 12/03 (may have even been a fifth bird
but it was seen soon after a different sighting)


Some standouts in terms of abundance were three American Tree Sparrows, at
least four Palm Warblers, four Wilson's Phalarope sightings (seven
individuals), and four Lesser Goldfinches. The Fill had no Lesser Goldfinch
records prior to this year, so this was particularly surprising.

Uncommon to rare subspecies:


-

Dusky Canada Goose (occidentalis): A pair on 11/13 were the first
Montlake Fill record, and perhaps the 4th or 5th for King County.

https://ebird.org/checklist/S97545184


-

Red Fox Sparrow: One on 11/13 marked the first record for the Montlake
Fill, and perhaps the 5th King County record?

https://ebird.org/checklist/S97545184


-

Interior Spotted Towhee (maculatus group): A couple seemed to be hanging
around the general Fill area this winter.


Female: https://ebird.org/checklist/S97910636

Male: https://ebird.org/checklist/S97492055

As a side note, we had a couple of individual towhees that we suspected
were intergrade maculatus x oregonus.


-

Song Sparrow (montana/merrilli): One on 11/20 was the first report for
Montlake Fill.

https://ebird.org/checklist/S97833553


Late migrants:


-

Alex had a Warbling Vireo on 10/9.
-

Alex had a Chipping Sparrow show up on 10/11.
-

Louis found a Hammond's Flycatcher on 10/12.
-

Louis found two separate late Wilson's Warblers, one on 10/14, and one
on 10/18. The first bird stuck around for three days, and the second stayed
all the way until 12/7.
-

A few other birders had a Say's Phoebe sometime around 10/20.
-

We found two Western Tanagers on 10/24, and one stuck around until
11/24.
-

Alex found a Black-throated Gray Warbler on 11/8.



~ Louis Kreemer and Alex Sowers