BIRDERCENTRAL.COM Totem Lake Kirkland WA

What's Happening At The Totem Lake Wetlands Today?
(and, occasionally, away from the lake...)
Full reports and highlights

      05/28/12 5 PM.  Mallard, Am. Crows, Black-capped Chickadees, Bushtits, Marsh Wren, Am. Robins,
      Song Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbirds, Am. Goldfinches, Great Blue Heron, Violet-green Swallows,
      Virginia Rail (heard), Anna's Hummingbird, Cedar Waxwings, E. Starlings, Varied Thrush and
      Wood Ducks.

      09/02/11 Mid-Morning. Did a quick tour of the wetlands and talked to a couple of data collectors
      measuring water depth near the overlook. Heard Virginia Rails and saw Am. Crows, Mallards,
      Song Sparrows, Black-capped Chickadees, a Green-winged Teal, Pied-billed Grebes,
      a Great Blue Heron, a Steller's Jay and a Green Heron. Also saw two Puget Sound Garter Snakes
      and a lot of Purple Loosestrife (not good).

      07/10/11 Afternoon. Back on the update track after taking a couple years off to go back to
      school to pick up certificates in Natural Resources and Parks and Recreation. Still more school
      to go but now with a bit more free time.

      11/27/09 Afternoon. Christine Dubois and her mother got great looks at a Long-eared Owl, a very
      rare visitor to Totem Lake!

      02/29/08 10 AM. Last night (5 PM) and this morning, there was a beautiful juvenile, first year
      Bald Eagle sitting midway up the large tree behind Cafe Veloce at Totem Lake. While we have
      seen many Bald Eagles circle Totem Lake, this is the first time we have seen one perched in a
      tree at the wetlands.  The House Finches, Chickadees and Crows were all sitting a few yards
      away in the same tree and neither the Eagle or those birds seemed to mind.

      FOR THE LAST YEAR. I have conducted water quality monitoring at the lake. The results are
      typical of what one might expect. Here is a test result from September of 2007.

      Water Temp   19.7 C
      Air Temp    21.6 C
      Mostly Sunny, 0mm of rain prior day, 0mm rain today, 14.2mm month to date
      Winds Calm
      DO 8 PPM
      O2 Saturation   85%
      Turbidity   40 JTU (with lots of plant debris)
      Nitrates   0 PPM (using Nitrate-Nitrogen Concentration Reporting)
      Phosphates   .5 PPM
      pH  6.8
      BOD 3 PPM
      (Taken at noon, at the lake edge off the boardwalk overlook. Water Depth is 5 feet. Sample taken 3 feet       from surface, 2 feet from the bottom. )

      This data is useful should there be a major change in water quality.

      05/21/07 5 PM. Graham and I met fellow birder and photographer Marc Hoffman at the Lake.
      He had spent a lot of time there today and, besides getting some great views of a group of Cedar
      Waxwings, he took some great full body shots of a Virginia Rail on the boardwalk. I posted one
      above. Totem Lake provides an excellent habitat for Rails. Thanks Marc!

      03/26/07 Noon Partly Cloudy, 58 degrees. Am. Crows, Mallards, Song Sparrows,
      Black-capped Chickadees, Red-winged Blackbirds, Virginia Rails (heard), Am. Coots,
      Am. Robins, E. Starlings, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Buffleheads, Downy Woodpecker,
      Hooded Merganser, Am. Goldfinches, House Finches, Gadwalls and Green-winged Teals.
      At 5 PM, Graham and I spotted some Swallows in the distance but we could not make the ID.
      A young man we met told us he thinks a Great Horned Owl comes into a snag at night near the
      Carlton Inn so we will check this out one evening.

      02/27/07 2 PM Cloudy, 43 degrees. Am. Crows, Mallards, Song Sparrows, Marsh Wrens,
      Bewick's Wren, Black-capped Chickadees, Bushtits, Red-winged Blackbirds,
      Virginia Rails (heard), Am. Coot, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Am. Robins, E. Starlings,
      Yellow-rumped Warblers, Am. Goldfinches, Buffleheads and House Finches.
      The female Shoveler near Cafe Veloce was recently joined by another this month but left last
      week.

      WATER QUALITY TESTING AT TOTEM LAKE JAN. 2007 to the present
      We have been conducting water quality testing on a weekly basis. We are testing for pH,
      temperature, dissolved oxygen, phosphates, nitrates, BOD, O2 saturation, fecal coliform and
      turbidity. So far, nothing unexpected and we will publish results when more data is compiled.

      12/28/06 3 PM Cloudy, 36 degrees. Am. Crows, Mallards, Spotted Towhees, Song Sparrows,
      Marsh Wrens, Bewick's Wren, Black-capped Chickadees, Bushtits, Red-winged Blackbirds,
      Great Blue Heron, Virginia Rails (heard), N. Shoveler, Am. Coot, Ruby-crowned Kinglets,
      Am. Robins, E. Starlings, Yellow-rumped Warblers and House Finches. The female Shoveler
      was feeding on the pond behind the Cafe Veloce, spinning in a circle while tipping up.

      09/14/06 Noon Cloudy and on/off rain, 58 to 63 degrees. Am. Crows, Mallards,
      Spotted Towhees, Song Sparrows, Marsh Wrens, Black-capped Chickadees, Bushtits,
      Red-winged Blackbirds, Great Blue Heron, Wood Ducks, Virginia Rails (heard), Killdeer
      (six flew over twice) Downey Woodpecker, Violet-green Swallows (15) and White-crowned Sparrows.

      07/22/06 9 AM, Partly Cloudy, 77 degrees. Going to be a very hot day. The list for this morning:
      Pied-billed Grebe, Green Herons, Mallards, Virginia Rail, Northern Flicker, Steller's Jay, Barn
      Swallows, Black-capped Chickadee, Bewick's Wren, House Wren, American Robins, Cedar
      Waxwings, Red-winged Blackbird, House Finches and American Goldfinches. The Waxwings were
      "playing" among the lily pads which I found a bit peculiar.

      05/17/06 6 PM, Made a quick stop to check for Rails near the Yuppie Pawn boardwalk and found
      an adult Virginia Rail moving through the vegetation about 15 feet out. Got a good look for about
      5 minutes or so. Totem Lake is surely a great place to hear and see Rails quite frequently.

      05/15/06 5 PM, Partly Cloudy, 78 degrees. On our Monday evening bird walk, Graham and I saw a
      great display of Rail behavior. Near the Yuppie Pawn boardwalk, we saw a Virginia Rail chick
      which looked like a charcoal black ball of down. A few minutes later, we watched two adult Rails
      allopreen for about 15 minutes in clear view about 10 feet off the boardwalk. Great sight!

      05/08/06   We've been waiting for the return of the Cedar Waxwings and today we were rewarded.
      Graham and I saw several small flocks in the trees near the bank boardwalk at about 5 PM. Glad
      to see them back.!

     05/06/06 A NICE NOTE FROM TOM MANSFIELD
     Hi, I stopped by Totem Lake for the first time May 6 and despite being a blustery day, spent an
     enjoyable hour and saw the following (using your list): Great Blue Heron , Canada Goose (a pair),
     Mallard (2 pairs plus 1 drake), Hooded Merganser, Red-tailed Hawk ,Virginia Rail (a pair) - this
     was my first ever sighting, Anna's Hummingbird (male), Flicker (female), Tree Swallow (many),
     Black-capped Chickadee (total of 5), Marsh Wren (many heard, only 2 seen), Eastern Starling,
     (4 total), Audubon's Warbler (3 males), Wilson's Warbler (male), Song Sparrow,
     (many heard, only 1 seen), Red-Winged Blackbird (many), House Finch (many, both sexes),
     American Goldfinch (3 males, 1 female) and House Sparrow (many, both sexes).
     A very nice little spot with surprisingly diverse population. I'll be back. Tom Mansfield.

     04/11/06   We have been watching a Canada Goose couple tending and defending their nest
     on the lake for the past week or so. You can see it clearly by looking across the lake from the
     boardwalk overlook. It is a clear depression in the vegetation right on the lake edge about
     one o'clock as you look across from the overlook.

     03/27/06 10 AM, Partly Cloudy, 49 degrees. The Tree Swallows have returned! Several were seen
     flying over the wetlands this morning. A Bushtit is apparently preparing for nesting near the Yuppie
     Boardwalk. Other birds seen include many Yellow-rumped Warblers, Ruby-crowned Kinglets,
     Bewick's Wrens, Black-capped Chickadees, Am. Robins, Am. Crows, a Downey Woodpecker,.
     Canada Geese, Mallards, Song Sparrows, a Marsh Wren and Red-winged Blackbirds.
     Several Virginia Rails were heard throughout the wetlands.

      02/16/06 I passed by the grass farm near Ch. St. Michelle in Woodinville this morning about
     10 AM and watched one Greater White-fronted Goose walking among several dozen
     Canada Geese in the fields. Again, great looks

02/15/06 I spent two hours unsuccessfully looking for the rare Slaty-backed Gull yesterday in the early afternoon in Renton. After an errand, I went back for a last look around 4 PM and there was
the gull! Great looks.

     02/07/06 4 PM Partly Cloudy, 56 degrees. A Fox Sparrow was moving low in the wetlands
     near the Yuppie Pawn boardwalk. Also, Canada Geese, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Gadwalls,
     Mallards, Buffleheads, Cooper's Hawk, Am. Coots, Downey Woodpecker, Am. Crows,
     Black-capped Chickadees, Marsh Wrens, Am. Robins, Yellow-rumped Warblers (both),
     Spotted Towhees, Song Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbirds, House Finches, Virginia Rails,
     Bushtits, one Anna's Hummingbird, Green-winged Teals, Hooded Mergansers, Bewick's Wrens
     and E. Starlings. Starting to see more of the female Red-winged Blackbirds coming in.

      01/23/06 4 PM Partly Cloudy, 46 degrees. Very birdy today! Ruby-crowned Kinglets,
      Great Blue Heron, Gadwalls, Mallards, Buffleheads, Cooper's Hawk, Am. Coots,
      Downey Woodpecker, Am. Crows, Black-capped Chickadees, Marsh Wrens, Am. Robins,
      three dozen Yellow-rumped Warblers (both), Spotted Towhees, Song Sparrows,
      Red-winged Blackbirds, House Finch, Virginia Rails, Bushtits and one male Anna's
      Hummingbird doing large vertical loops in front of the boardwalk by Yuppie Pawn.

      01/19/06 4 PM Light Rain, 43 degrees. Not a bad hour at the lake. Ruby-crowned Kinglets,
      Great Blue Heron, Green Heron, Gadwalls, Mallards, Buffleheads, Hooded Mergansers,
      Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Am. Coots, Ring-billed Gulls, Downey
      Woodpecker, Am. Crows, Black-capped Chickadees, Bewick's Wren, Marsh Wren, Am. Robins,
      Yellow-rumped Warblers (both), Spotted Towhees, Song Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbirds,
      House Finch and a Pied-billed Grebe.

12/06/05 3 PM Cloudy, 38 degrees. More Ruby-crowned Kinglets are showing up and three
female/one male N. Shovelers were seen on the lake today.

      12/03/05 No Totem Lake trip today as we followed a twitch to Discovery Park to see
      a Snowy Owl. Of course, we brought our binos, scope and radios but left the camera
      at home. Fortunately, many folks were taking photos and a few were kind enough to
      send some to us. A beautiful bird! See the photo above.

12/01/05 SNOW! Only a few Coots and Robins braved the cold and snow this afternoon.

      11/30/05 3 PM Cloudy, 37 degrees. COLD! Not the usual numbers of birds but some nice
      sightings. The highlight was a Sharp-shinned Hawk just missing a Downey Woodpecker dinner
      by a few inches in an attack on the Woodpecker on his snag directly off the Yuppie Pawn
      boardwalk. A couple Yellow-rumped Warblers and one Ruby-crowned Kinglet were seen in
      the wetlands off the boardwalk behind the bank. Several Mallards, Gadwalls, Coots and
      Green-winged Teals were seen on the lake. Besides the usual Song Sparrows, there were
      several Fox Sparrows near the dead blackberry bushes behind the bank. Other sightings
      included a pair of House Finches, several Black-capped Chickadees, two Dark-eyed Juncos,
      lots of Starlings and Robins with several Virginia Rails being heard.

10/03/05 5 PM Clear, 54 degrees. A Rail fest today! We heard at least five Rails off the Yuppie
Pawn boardwalk this evening and saw two of them moving through the vegetation.

09/21/05 10 AM Clear, 51 degrees. A quick stop at the Lake yielded a nice look at a
Lorquin's Admiral butterfly near the Yuppie boardwalk.

     09/12/05 5PM Overcast, 64 degrees.   Lots of Yellow-rumped Warblers, Orange-crowned Warblers,
     several Ruby-crowned Kinglets, a Swainson's Thrush, a Western wood-pewee, Rock Pigeons,
     a Rufous Hummingbird, lots of Black-capped Chickadees, Cedar Waxwings, Song Sparrows,
     American Goldfinches and Spotted Towhees.

08/21/05 7PM Clear, 65 degrees. Yet another first for the lake list - Olive-sided Flycatcher seen
from the lake overlook boardwalk.

     08/15/05 6AM High Scattered Clouds, 61 degrees. Another first for the lake list - Two Winter Wrens
     seen off the boardwalk by the bank. I am not well-schooled on Dragonflies but I believe I spotted many
     Common Pondhawks and one Cardinal Meadowhawk today.

08/11/05 8PM Cloudy, 62 degrees. First time since Feb. for the Hooded Merganser. Two of them
on the lake. One was following close behind a female Wood duck.

08/09/05 6AM Cloudy, 56 degrees. I was at the lake at first light. A new one for the lake - A
House Wren near the lake overlook boardwalk

08/08/05 5PM Clear, 79 degrees. Highlight of the day - a female Black-headed Grosbeak
seen from the boardwalk near the hotel.

     08/06/05 8PM Clear, 72 degrees. Four Wood Ducks and nine Mallards were seen on the lake.
     A Virginia Rail was heard off the boardwalk near the Yuppie Pawn. Off the boardwalk near the
     bank, I saw a Downey Woodpecker, five Black-capped Chickadees, a Bewick's Wren, eight,
    American Robins, a Song Sparrow, two Red-winged Blackbirds and two House Finches.
    Twenty Barn Swallows were hunting at altitudes ranging from the surface of the lake to a
    few hundred feet. Two dozen American Crows were traveling from north to south to
    wherever they roost.

In the last several months, I have taken over 28 bags of litter
out of the wetlands adjacent to the boardwalks. Please help
me keep the park clean. Please don't litter and if you see a
scrap of paper or a cup you can easily and safely reach,
please put it in the trash can on the boardwalk.
THANK YOU FOR HELPING!

     08/01/05 8PM Clear, 61 degrees. Barn Swallows continued their early evening feeding
     and, today, we caught our first glimpse of a female Common Yellowthroat off the boardwalk area
     near the bank. A Bewick's Wren didn't seem to mind the flock of a dozen Bushtits as they landed on
     "his" low snag. The Cedar Waxwings were still here as was an Anna's buzzing about.

     07/01/05 The last few days, King Conservation District volunteers have been working at the Lake.
     They did a lot of hard work pulling Blackberries, planting native plants and installing bird boxes.
     Good work people! The birding highlight was seeing several Green Herons moving through
     the wetlands each day this week.

     06/25/05 8PM Clear, 68 degrees. Mallards, Am. Crows, Black-capped Chickadees, Bushtits,
     Bewick's Wren, Marsh Wren, Am. Robins, Song Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbirds,
     House Finches, Am. Goldfinches, Great Blue Heron, Barn Swallows, Violet-green Swallows,
     Virginia Rail, Anna's Hummingbird, Northern Flicker, Steller's Jay, Cedar Waxwings,
     Spotted Towhees and Brown-headed Cowbird.

     06/23/05 Sorry for the long delay in posting but regular career matters called as well as birdng in
     California. Still, I have been visiting the Lake every few days. The regular cast of characters
     are still there. New bird life has appeared in the form of recently hatched Mallards, Canada
     Geese and even Rails. The wetlands are in full bloom so the Cedar Waxwings are feasting.
     And the butterfies...all over the place!

     05/09/05 3PM Light Rain, 52 degrees. First appearance this year for the Cedar Waxwings.
     5PM Update. Spent 15 minutes watching a Virginia Rail preen right off the Yuppie Pawn
     boardwalk. The bird was only 5 meters away so barely needed a glass to watch it.

05/08/05 Mike Hamilton and his daughter spotted a Pileated Woodpecker near the boardwalk
in the westerly portion of the park. Great spot!!!

05/05/05 Michael Hobbs spotted another new one for the park - a male Wilson's Warbler!

05/04/05 9AM Light Rain, 51 degrees. First appearance this year for the Common Yellowthroat!

     05/03/05 9AM Cloudy, 48 degrees. One of our Virginia Rails was making quite a bit of
     noise in the marsh adjacent to the Yuppie Pawn parking lot. After patiently waiting for 30 minutes,
     I spotted him moving quickly through the marsh looking for food. Great bird!

04/28/05 10AM Scattered Clouds, 54 degrees. Another first for the lake! Two Chipping Sparrow
were seen moving through the trees near the Yuppie Pawn parking lot.

04/27/05 9AM Scattered Clouds, 54 degrees. A first for the lake! A Western Tanager was seen
moving through the trees near the boardwalk at Yuppie Pawn.

04/25/05 5PM Sunny, 52 degrees. Canada Geese, Mallards, Green-winged Teals, Buffleheads, Am. Crows, Black-capped Chickadees, Bushtits, Bewick's Wren, Marsh Wren, Am. Robins, E. Starlings, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Song Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbirds, House Finches, Am. Goldfinches, Great Blue Heron, Wood Ducks, Am. Coots, Rock Pigeon and Tree Swallows.

     04/02/05 Bushtit nests are gourd-shaped, about a foot long, made of grasses, twigs and leaves,
     bound together by spider web. They are usually lined with plant down, feathers and hair.
     There is a great example of a Bushtit nest directly off the Yuppie Pawn boardwalk area about
     30 feet out in wetland Cattails. I watched a Bushtit couple making frequent trips inside the nest.
     A strange sight - to see this spider web gourd nest being so flexible that it looked a like a person
     trying to get out of a balloon when the Bushtits were traveling in and out of the nest.   Got a camera?
     I would love to put a photo of this nest on the site.

Wildbird Magazine (March/April issue) is offering a Canon 20D digital camera
as the Grand Prize in their 17th Annual Photo Contest. Good luck!

03/23/05 10AM Partly Cloudy, 47 degrees. It's about time! Spotted a Tree Swallow on a snag
near the Bank of America boardwalk area. Just one... more to come...

03/18/05 9AM Partly Cloudy, 39 degrees. Three male Downy Woodpeckers jockeying for
position.

03/17/05 10AM Partly Cloudy, 42 degrees. Highlight was a Virginia Rail off the
boardwalk near Yuppie.

     03/07/05 8AM Overcast, 55 degrees. Pied-billed Grebe, Canada Geese, Mallards,
     Green-winged Teals, Buffleheads, Ring-billed Gull, Am. Crow, Black-capped Chickadees,
     Bushtits, Bewick's Wren, Marsh Wren, Am. Robins, E. Starlings, Yellow-rumped Warblers,
     Spotted Towhees, Song Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbirds, House Finches, and
     Am. Goldfinches. ADDED AT 4PM Overcast, 62 degrees. Galdwalls, Great Blue Heron
     Northern Flicker and Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

03/04/05 10AM Partly Cloudy, 50 degrees. New one for the park list - Red-breasted Sapsucker!

02/23/05 3PM Sunny, 60 degrees. Highlight of the day is a new addition to the list, the
Common Goldeneye.

02/17/05 No Totem Lake report today. Going to see Sandhill Cranes in
Lodi, CA. Love those cranes! Then, off to Bolsa Chica Wetlands in
Orange County for Terns.

     02/15/05 4PM Partly Cloudy, 40 degrees. Am. Crows, Mallards, Song Sparrows, Marsh Wren,
     Black-capped Chickadees, Buffleheads, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Ring-billed Gulls,
     E. Starlings, Yellow-rumped Warblers (BOTH Audubon's and Myrtle), Red-winged Blackbirds
.    and Cooper's Hawk.

     02/14/05 4PM Cloudy, 38 degrees. Green-winged Teals, Am. Crows, Mallards,
     Spotted Towhees, Song Sparrows, Gadwalls, Black-capped Chickadees, Buffleheads,
     E. Starlings, Am. Coot, Am. Robins and Red-winged Blackbirds.

02/05/05 No Totem Lake report today. Going to the Skagit Bald Eagle Festival.

     02/03/05 10AM Partly Cloudy, 50 degrees. Green-winged Teals, Am. Crows, Mallards,
     Spotted Towhees, Song Sparrows, Marsh Wrens, Bewick's Wrens, Hooded Mergansers,
     Gadwalls, Black-capped Chickadees, Buffleheads, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Ring-billed Gull,
     E. Starlings, Bushtits, Yellow-rumped Warblers (BOTH Audubon's and Myrtle), N. Flicker,
     Anna's Hummingbird and Red-winged Blackbirds. The Flicker and Myrtle and back and
     the Anna's is a first for the Totem Lake check list. The check list is now at 77 species!

     02/01/05 3PM Partly Cloudy, 53 degrees. Green-winged Teals, Am. Crows, Mallards,
     Spotted Towhees, Song Sparrows, Marsh Wrens, Bewick's Wrens, Hooded Mergansers,
     Am. Robins, Gadwalls, Black-capped Chickadees, Buffleheads, Ruby-crowned Kinglets,
     Am. Coot, E. Starlings, Cooper's Hawk, Bushtits and Red-winged Blackbirds.

PHOTOS FROM TOTEM LAKE	Yellow-rumped Warbler, Feb. 17, 2005 Courtesy of JUDY HYSTAD