4th/5th grade class
Ardmore Elementary
16616 N.E. 32nd
Bellevue, WA. 98008
455-6309
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Wed. 7-May-97 Location: Marymoor park Sky: Sunny with few clouds
Temp: 65F/18C Time: 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm #Observers: 7 #Species 35
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Dear Tweeters,
My best spot was by the Sammamish Slough when the Cedar Waxwings,Western
Tangers,Rufous Hummingbird, and the American Goldfinch were flying around
all of us.
This morning our class went down to the creek and saw a variety of birds.
The migrants we saw included the Wilson Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Warbling
Vireo, and the Orange-crowned Warbler. The Barn and Violet-green
Swallows are back. When we spotted the birds they were foliage gleaning
on the following deciduous trees: willow, alder, cottonwood, and bitter
cherry. What do Western Tangers eat and where do they nest?

-Vafa
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Tweeters,
We were walking through the dog training/exercise area at Marymoor Park,
when I spotted a yellow bird with a bright orange head. I recognized
the bird, it was "Pirgama ludoviciana" or the Western Tanager. It is
a beautiful bird that is rare around here except now when they are
migrating through. They migrate down to Central America where the
forests that they live in are being cut down to grow coffee and raise beef.


-Dakota
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Dear Tweeters:
Right after Dakota had spotted the Western Tanager(WETA), something yellow
flew by. When I looked at it through my binos, it looked like a Yellow
Warbler(YEWA). I wasn't sure so I looked it up in the bird book. I realized
that what I saw wasn't a Yellow Warbler, but a Wilson's Warbler(WIWA)(male)
with a black cap on its head. I was totally sure that it wasn't a
American Goldfinch(AMGO) since the bird had a beak for searching (or
otherwise known as foliage gleaning beak).
Has anybody elase seen the WIWA?

-Sachiko
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Dear Tweeters:
My favorite sighting was the two Bald Eagles around the nest. The female
was in the nest. We saw an American Goldfinch on a branch. A flock of Cedar
Waxwings were in the same tree. We also saw the Great Blue Heron and it
was flying. Has anyone seen an owl on Novelty Hill road east of Redmond.
My mother and I saw one last month.

-Brandon
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We are easing off our birding these days and heading into the
Shakespeare/low-tide camping phase. We only have a month or so of school
left and just now beginning The Winter's Tale. The kids had their Warbler
Test this morning and most did just fine. This type of birding is
different from the winter raptor experiences. We will keep in touch from
time to time, and still enjoy reading all the post of sightings and
threads. I forward some posts to the kid's address and have them respond.
Here are some selected poems from the kids. Enjoy. Isn't that sun great!!


Fear

The little bird flew as if he knew
That he was being followed.

As he flew the wind blew
and he shivered with fear.
He cried," Oh dear! Oh dear!"

And he flew as if he knew
that he was being followed.
It was almost like he carried a mirror,
as he shivered with fear,
Soon- to be swept away.

By, Christina