Sunday afternoon met friends at the far (north) end of the parking area
(left turn just east of the light at 73 Av NE and Bothell Way NE, going E
toward Bothell). There are about 50 nests there, most appearing active,
and are very visible now before the trees leaf out. They are over the
Swamp Creek swamp, decreasing the chance of having your best bib and
tucker destroyed - a possibility if you could become so enraptured that
you stood directly under a nesting adult with a possible digestive problem
(the bird, that is).
While there, a pale buteo with black primaries at the wing tips
sailed over and collected a noisy four heron escort out of the district.
The tail was pale and unbanded making me think of a Red-tail, but there
were no black patagials between the shoulders and wrists on the leading
edge of the wing from below. Perhaps a light morph immature. Too far
from the Great Plains for a Krider's to be likely.
When your next visitors arrive from the east, take them directly
to the swamp by the Kenmore park-and-ride.
Fran Wood (male)
fbwood at u.washington.edu
Seattle