Date: Mon, 15 Apr 1996 10:05:59 -0700 (PDT)
From: Maureen Ellis <me2 at u.washington.edu>
To: tweeters at u.washington
Subject: Des Moines Wa Marina migrants plus Nolte/Kanaskat-Palmer Parks

Folks,

First barn swallow arrived...seen Saturday, April 13, on wires above the
marina parking lot. Marina wintering birds continue to depart for
breeding grounds. Grebes, cormorants, scoters now in very small numbers
compared to wintering populations.

Spent a very pleasant 2/3rds Sunday with Ranier Valley Audubon group
surveying Nolte and Kanaskat-Palmer State Parks a bit east and southeast
of Black Diamond. Good view of successfully fishing osprey at the Nolte
Park lake plus a male pileated woodpecker diligently excavating a rectangular
chamber in snag just off the lake-surround trail. Zillions of singing
(screeching) winter wrens within easy earshot of the trail and a small raft
of male common mergansers on the lake.

Stopped at (dirtroad 354 SE off of Green Valley Rd, I think) Flaming
Geyser Park and found numerous singing common yellowthroats......lovely.

Kanaskat-Palmer Park is great for viewing the Green River rapids, as is
the single lane bridge crossing the gorge. We found common
merganser pairs and groups of males flying up river; missed out on seeing
dippers this time, there were black-tailed deer on the opposite bank.

In all parks, there were trillium, bleeding hearts, salmon berry, and
other beautiful wildflowers. A stress-drain-away wonderful day. Of
course, we made the required pig-out stop at the Black Diamond Bakery, my
first time there, YUM!

Maureen E Ellis, me2 at u.washington.edu, Univ of Wa and Des Moines WA