Date: 4/26/26 6:13 pm From: Carol Riddell via Tweeters <tweeters...> Subject: [Tweeters] Edmonds Roundup - March 2026
Hi Tweeters,
We ended March with 117 species on our Edmonds 2026 year list. The added species in taxonomic order are:
Wood Duck (code 3), 1 at Pine Ridge Park, 3-15-26.
Ruddy Duck (code 3), 2 at the waterfront, 3-17-26.
Rufous Hummingbird (code 2), 1 at Edmonds marsh and 1 at Southwest County Park, 3-22-26.
American Kestrel (code 4), 1 at Mathay-Ballinger Park, 3-18-26.
Tree Swallow (code 3), 6 in Edmonds Lake Ballinger neighborhood, 3-19-26.
Violet-green Swallow (code 1), 10 in Edmonds Lake Ballinger neighborhood, 3-19-26.
Other birds of interest: The adult male Lesser Goldfinch (code 5) appeared at its customary feeders on 3-18, 22, and 26. He has been using these feeders intermittently for a year and a half. The puzzle is where he hangs out the rest of the time. Presumably he remains somewhere in the Edmonds area but we have received no other reports of this bird. We usually have at least one Turkey Vulture (code 3) sighting in March but this year either Edmonds’ skies were devoid of that species or it eluded detection.
Declined: American Herring Gull (code 4), 2 separate undocumented reports in Edmonds marsh. Over all years there have been a total of 24 eBird reports of this species in the marsh, starting in January 2024. None was documented. These all seem to coincide with increased use of Merlin’s Sound ID for building checklists. It frequently lists this species as a possibility at the marsh but without an independent sighting to verify that possibility, it is worthless. I have begun to doubt Sound ID’s usefulness for gulls. It certainly does not distinguish between pure species and hybrids and possibly will never be able to. But I have to wonder about the persistence of its suggestion for American Herring Gull where that species is rarely seen.
By way of explanation, we start additions to our year list based on birders letting me know about sightings. We then review eBird reports to see if we can add further species based on information included in checklists. With rarer birds, code 3 or rarer, we look for something more than a checklist tick. Those of us who use eBird know that we occasionally make data entry errors, so those have to be ruled out for our purposes. We then look for evidence such as a description of critical field marks, photos, or recordings. If none of those is included, we then decline to add the species at this time. This has no effect on an eBirder’s personal records.
As always, I appreciate it when birders get in touch with me to share sightings, photos, or recordings. It helps us build our collective year list. If you would like a copy of our 2026 Edmonds city checklist, please request it from this email address: checklistedmonds at gmail dot com. The 2026 checklist, with March sightings on it, is in the bird information box at the Olympic Beach Visitor Station at the base of the public pier.
Good birding,
Carol Riddell
Edmonds, WA
cariddellwa at gmail dot com
Abundance codes: (1) Common, (2) Uncommon, (3) Harder to find, usually seen annually, (4) Rare, 5+ records, (5) Fewer than 5 records
_______________________________________________ Tweeters mailing list <Tweeters...> http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters
