Subject: Backyard in W. Seattle
Date: Dec 29 20:58:02 1996
From: "Megan E. Sheppard" - 71035.2664 at compuserve.com


Greetings from the edge of Fairmount Canyon in West Seattle (just up the
hill from Salty's at Alki).

A selection of peanuts, bread crumbs, and Supreme Blend from Wild Birds
Unlimited has brought chestnut-backed chickadees, Steller's jays, the piggy
neighborhood pigeons, and a solitary red-breasted nuthatch. Several
swallows or swifts went swooping by yesterday, and just a little bit ago a
Great Blue Heron cruised overhead. (He usually perches on my neighbor's
roof, but not today.) No sign of the bald eagles that often perch nearby.

And here's a tip of the hat to my friend Chris, who is also a member of
Tweeters: Suffering from cabin-fever on Thursday (the first bad snow day),
she called and said "You're out of bird food, right? Let's go!" I couldn't
believe it, but she pulled up in her red Land Rover, and we trekked all the
way to Wild Birds Unlimited at Southcenter Parkway and loaded up with a
40-lb bag. Now THERE'S dedication! (Or, as the State Patrol would call it,
"stupidity"!)

Also, last Monday I went to check out some property I own down at Copalis
Beach. While hiking through Griffith-Priday State Park, my friend and I
startled two beautiful ring-necked pheasants that took off across the dune
grass.

This is my first posting. Nice to be here. And a special hello to
meister-birder Paul Cozens, my friend from West Seattle High School days.

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Megan Sheppard
West Seattle (North Admiral/Fairmount Canyon)
megans at compuserve.com or 71035.2664 at compuserve.com
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