Clay-colored sparrow at Marymoor Park The Redmond Historical Society held a multi-media meeting Saturday, April 12 from 10:30-noon at the Redmond Library, where Marymoor birding expert Michael Hobbs shared stories about the natural habitat of birds and their behavior. I have a personal Life List of over 130 birds and I can't wait to make one of Mr. Hobbs walks and get it up to date. What about you?! (see walk schedule below). Some students might get "extra credit" on this one?!
According to the Redmond Historical Society, Redmond’s history is not just about people and places. It’s also about our natural heritage, and our April speaker shared lots of photos of our feathered friends at Marymoor Park.
Michael Hobbs, a board member of the Friends of Marymoor Park, has plenty of experience. “I first birded at Marymoor Park in 1990, and I've been doing a weekly bird survey there since April 1994. That's every Wednesday or Thursday for the past (almost) 14 years, or well over 750 visits. I also gather records of others' bird sightings at Marymoor Park, and I now have documented 201 species in the park since 1990.” The focus of my talks is not always about pretty pictures of birds,” Michael notes, “but rather on the seasonal patterns, habitat niches, and changes over time in bird usage of the park. I'll try to share some good bird stories.Michael also maintains birding information on the Friends of Marymoor Web site, at http://marymoor.org/birding.htm " --- Reference: Miguel Llanos, Redmond Historical Society Newsletter, RHS2008 Morning Bird Walk Schedule - Meet at Marymoor Park, Parking Lot CJanuary 3 -- January 24, 8:00 Thurs
January 31 -- February 14, 7:30 Thurs
February 21 -- March 6, 7:00 Thurs
March 27 -- April 3, 7:00 Thurs
April 10 -- April 17, 6:30 Thurs
April 24 -- May 8, 6:00 Thurs
May 15 -- July 24, 5:30 Thurs
July 31 -- August 14, 6:00 Thurs
August 21 -- September 4, 6:30 Thurs
September 11 -- October 2, 7:00 Thurs
October 9 -- October 23, 7:30 Thurs
October 30, 8:00 Thurs
November 6, 7:00 Thurs
November 13 -- November 20, 7:30 eve 7:30 WEDS
December 4, 7:30 THURS
December 11 -- December 18, 8:00 Thurs
December 24 -- (Christmas eve) 8:00 Thurs
Bob Yoder, co-author, Ed Hill neighborhood
I attended this fascinating meeting on Saturday, April 12. I frequently visit the dog park at Marymoor, but I have never seen the birders walking thru because they go early before I am awake!
ReplyDeleteI learned a lot about the birds of Marymoor, and I recognized some of the habitat pictured. One of the most fascinating habitats was actually man-made.
The cell phone tower near the velodrome and 520 Hwy was decommissioned a few years ago. There was a large Osprey nest on top of the tower. But when the antennas were removed, the nest was exposed to Eagle attacks!
King County erected a new tower 200 feet from the cell tower. The tower has a man-made nest, and a small "toothpick" post that prevents Eagles from swooping in to steal Osprey eggs.
Osprey's have made this man-made nest their home. Michael Hobbs said this was a successful "relocation project".