A couple of surprises showed up again, both the Pelagic cormorants (our
winter "pair") and three Brandt's cormorants. The Pelagics have not been
seen for over two weeks, and the Brandt's were seen in early Jan on our
CBC. A quartet of female Red-breasted mergansers relieved a Brandt's of
its prey (a small fish). Unlike the determined-to-keep-its-fish-in-vain
Horned grebe episode reported recently, the Brandt's cormorant did not put
up much of a fight. A chance visit to the Marina at sundown revealed that
our totem roost may be occupied only in daylight. All the Double-crested
cormorants were seen flying across the Sound toward Vashon island (about 3
miles.)

A mature Bald eagle was seen carrying a small dark prey, perhaps a Coot,
to the Normandy Park bluff just north of the Marina/Des Moines Creek Beach
Park area. Eagles are known to nest here and prey on the local Great Blue
heronries. Our resident pair of GBH's forage regularly on the beach and
roost above and about the moored boats, but no nest is evident yet (in
past years, has been in the tall conifers on the north edge of the Beach
Park).

There are still a number of both species Goldeneyes, three species
Scoters, fluctuating numbers of Red-necked, Horned, and Western grebes.
Numbers of Coots have increased in the past couple of weeks from a
couple of dozen to over fifty. The two routinely-seen Pigeon guillemots
are in full alternate plumage.

Sunday afternoon (Mar 16) afforded a fairly warm, lighter breezed,
semi-rainless!! pleasant walk in nearby wooded areas to check out the
Passerines. It was all noise and motion.....Bewick's wrens, a male Downy
woodpecker, hoards of still-here, winter-visiting Juncoes, Robins, Spotted
towhees, Northern (red-shafted morph) flickers, a cap-revealing
Ruby-crowned kinglet, Song sparrows, Black-capped chickadees, House
finches all singing, calling, scolding, flitting, foraging and chasing
each other. Spring, wow!

Saturday evening in the hour after sunset, the clouds dissipated enough
to be able to see the Hale-Bopp Comet. It's in the NW about half-way
between horizon and overhead. Binoculars give a detailed view; it's
really beautiful! (No, I haven't seen its Four AM version.)

Waiting for the Swallows to arrive (haven't ever seen Hummingbirds
routinely at my deck feeder; north wind is just too much blowing directly
off the frigid Sound waters:>((

Maureen Ellis me2 at u.washington.edu Univ of WA and Des Moines, WA, USA