Hi.

I live near the Arboretum, on 28th and E. Ward. Saturday night I exchanged
greetings with a Great Horned Owl as I skiied through the Arboretum. I'm
fairly sure it was a Great Horned Owl because of the size, shape, and call
(hu-hu-huu, hu hu). My husband swears he saw horns.

I also share the neighborhood with several hawks, but I'm having difficulty
nailing down an identification for the different species. Earlier this week I
spotted one that had a robin red breast and a white band above the tail (on
the underside, not the rump). I'm sure it wasn't an oversize robin. And I
have spotted several times what appears to be either a sharp-shinned hawk or
a female merlin.

I also had the great fortune of observing a flock of golden-crowned kinglets
feeding in the Sequoia Grove in the Arboretum on Thursday, 12/26. I moved so
silently into the flock that one kinglet popped up mere inches from my face
as it traversed the branch. It was like standing among a thousand sweetly
tinkling bells.

And a song sparrow has been hanging around the feeder since the snow started.
Just one and he feeds with the juncos.

Best,
Wallis Bolz
28th and E. Ward, Seattle
wallitra at aol.com