Tweeters;
I spent Saturday morning with a Seattle Audubon Group on Spencer Island.
Highlights were many. What a great place! The morning started in the
parking lot near the bridge with 500-1000 Black Swifts above us and over the
sewage ponds. It was the first time I had seen them on this side of the
mountains (they were gone by lunch). The cattail marsh west of the bridge
contained a Virginia Rail that quickly answered to a tape and was briefly
seen. The riparian areas around the dikes were full of Willow Flycatcher and
Swainson's Thrush. We probably saw 20 Willow Flycatchers and heard a couple
Western Wood Pewee. Swainson's Thrush were doing their "whit" call
everywhere we walked. Yellow Warblers and Common Yellowthroat were the
most abundant warblers but I heard a Yellow-rumped and Wilson's singing.
Blue-winged, Green and Cinnamon Teal were in the ponds north of the cross
trail with lots of Gadwall, American Wigeon and Mallard (Lesser Scaup and
Ruddy Duck were seen on the sewage ponds too). Spotted Sandpipier and
Killdeer were plentiful. We even found a Spotted Sandpiper nest. One in our
party heard an American Bittern (we saw 3 on Friday flying over the dikes).
We spotted only one Eastern Kingbird on the east side of the cross trail
flycatching from the edge of Eby Island. Another highlight was watching an
immature Red-tailed Hawk eat a still squirming snake 15 feet from our group.
This bird was really tame. It sat there and eviscerated the Garter Snake
while being bombed by Bullock's Orioles. We had a great look at a Warbling
Vireo that sat and scolded on a nearby branch. A species total of 56 for a
great half day.
Tracee Geernaert
tracee at iphc.washington.edu