Subject: Sunday AM, 05-04-97, Des Moines, WA, Marina & surrounds
Date: May 5 10:45:29 1997
From: Maureen Ellis - me2 at u.washington.edu


Birds are moving through: 3 alternate-plumed Common loons, 7 Brant
geese (none had leg bands), a sub-adult Bald eagle scaring up everything
on the beach, a wave of Yellow-rumped warblers, all that I could see were
the Audubon's plumage, moving through the small forest of Des Moines Creek
Beach Park, only small rafts (10 or fewer birds) of Scoters and Goldeneyes
remain plus a couple of alternate-plumed, really red Red-necked grebes
and a scattering of Western grebes. Am trying to determine if our
seem-to-be-mostly-resident Pied-billed grebes actually breed at the
marina.

No Cormorants or Horned grebes were seen Sunday AM. And, even our local
population of Glaucous-winged + hybrid gulls is about a third of the
wintering group---pairs off to the breeding sites at Protection Island and
elsewhere. In addition, have finally been able to SEE our local River
otters. One swam under the fishing pier to the north end of the marina
jetty where a second otter jumped off the rocks to join the swimmer. They
are larger than I imagined, and have adopted the "amenities" the marina
affords. They have so loved, chewing and scratching, the carpeting used
to buffer the boats and the edges of the slips that all of it had to be
removed (anyone who has visited the marina can imagine how much carpeting
that must have been!!!)

Keeping an eye on our nesting Barn swallows under the public boat launch;
will try to get actual nest number later this week.

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