May, 1. Wed. Marymoore Wetlands. Overcast 43 f
Light wind 4:00-7:00. Observers: 4
(Sachiko, Dakota, Tyson, Dean) 40 species (record for afterschool trip)

first sightings: common yellowthroat, horned grebe, virginia rail,
american bittern, Golden-crowned sparrow, white-crowned sparrow,
rough-winged swallow, tree swallow,
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ENTRY: We were walking down the Marymoor boardwalk. We were walking
in a wetlands area. It was 5:15 And we heard a frog-like bird sound.
We knew it was some kind of marsh bird but didn't know what it was. We
recorded the sound and played it back and the beautiful marsh Robin sized
VIRA (Virginia Rail) showed up and startled us all. Boy was it beautiful.
We also heard, but didn't see an American Bittern.

Why do the American Bittern & The Virginia Rail both have really low
separate sounds?

-Dakota-
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We were at the start of the Marymoor dog walk and we noticed along with
the swallow VGSW there were some BASW. Then we saw what appeared to be a
TRSW, then we saw another TRSW and there was a difference between the first
TRSW and the second so we concluded the first swallow was a RWSW.

Is it common to see VGSW, BASW, TRSW, and the RWSW?

-Tyson
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4-28-96 Sunday Schmidt Park/Alik Point/Mercer Slough
clear 60 degrees no wind 8:00-2:00 5 observer
(Tyson, Dara, Steve, Dean, David B.) 51 species

first sightings: bonaparte's gull, pileated woodpecker, killdeer,
harlequin ducks, all three scoters, common loon, sanderling,
yellow-rumped warbler, hutton vireo, brown creeper,
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When we were about to leave Schmidt Park we saw a pileated woodpecker
(PIWO). We left Schmidt Park and our teacher took us home. We
saw a killdeer and 7 great blue heron nests. I saw a blackbird and it
looked like a crow, but it was a red-wing blackbird (RWBL).

-Dara
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The brown creeper is cool because it can climb trees, but it cannot climb
down so it has to fly down. And when we came back to the Mercer Slough we
saw a killdeer on the ground by the Park and Ride. We saw plethora of
GBHE at the Mercer Slough Heron Rookery. David Buckeley, thanks for sharing
what you know about birding with us. I learned that the pileated woodpeckers
have very long tongues and they can wrap their tongue around their skull.

How come the brown creeper can't climb down?

- Steve
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I saw our first Evening Grosbeaks this morning walking into the school.
Kids are checking around the school so they can view these large finches.
We also took the screens off the feeders hoping that they will forage in
the courtyard, as they have done other years.
-dean