Tweets,

Last Saturday Mike Patrick and I did a quick search of the Everett
waterfront to count the osprey nests that are active this season. We came
up with 12 nests, most of which are visible from the overlook at Legion Park.
Last year there were about 15. My guess is that the weather has had an
effect on the migration. We were lucky to see a couple birds collecting
sticks to add to their nests. They would soar over the trees looking for
dead branches and grab the sticks with their talons, breaking the sticks
with a snap that we could hear. One bird went for a branch that was a bit
too large and came to an unplanned, and less than graceful, perch instead.

On Saturday June 29, Pilchuck Audubon is having an osprey watch at Legion
Park from about 7am until noon or longer if conditions and activity
warrant it. We will have several scopes set up, including an 8 inch
Celestron which yields a pretty good view of the nests (80x - 280x). The
pair of birds in the closest nest where a bit late in laying eggs this
year, sometime during the week of May 13, and there should be some very
young chicks in the nest by the end of June. Several of the other nests
had eggs a couple weeks earlier, so even though they are further from
view, it will still be possible to see the young being fed. (The close
nest is close enough to see the color of the bird's eyes.) Legion Park is
just off Alverson Blvd. which is just off Marine View Drive. This
location is very close to the Highway 529 bridge that you cross on the way
to Spencer Island. There is a parking lot on one side of Alverson Blvd
and the bluff is right there. This is a good location for people who
cannot do the usual field trip hike.

If anyone is interested in seeing these birds through the large telescope
and can't make that date, feel free to contact me directly for some other
time when we can meet. As a "new, flexible employee", I do not expect to
be on line too much longer. My home phone is 206-259-6877.

Ed Schulz
Everett, WA
eschulz at eldec.com