Hi Tweets,

On Saturday we had a pleasant 38 mile bicycle ride over the Snoqualmie
Valley Trail and backroads of the Snoqualmie Valley. Just as we left the
Park and Ride lot near Fall City , we heard the first spring song of the
SAVANNAH SPARROW and spotted him in a field atop the dead stem of a
sunflower. Singing ROBINS were everywhere. Flocks of VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS
flew around a new housing development east of Carnation while a small
number of TREE SWALLOWS flew under and over the bridge at Sykes Lake.

Bicycling up the Tolt River Road to its dead end at a fishing access on
the Tolt River, we were able to view a DIPPER bobbing on a rock and
plunging in and out of the ripples of the river. After perusing this
section, the dipper flew down river uttering a squeak as it zoomed past
us. We can always count on seeing a dipper at this location. We also
suprised a male COMMON MERGANSER who took off in a hurry when he spotted
us. A VARIED THRUSH practiced his harmonic whistle as we pedalled back to
Carnation while Troglodytes troglodytes (WINTER WREN, love that Latin
name) performed with full voice from many forest perches along the road.

Wetlands and ponds along the Snoqualmie Valley Trail were populated with
several varities of ducks including many pairs of RING-NECKED, GADWALL,
MALLARD, a few BUFFLEHEAD, lots of COOTS, numerous HOODED MERGANSER, a few
WOOD DUCKS, and PIED-BILLED GREBE. A DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT joined the
ducks in one farmland pond. They were also at Sykes Lake. AMERICAN WIGEON
occupied one farmland pond but were not seen any place else. One male
GREEN-WINGED TEAL was spotted at Sykes Lake where many CANADA GEESE lined
the shoreline and a hunting female NORTHERN HARRIER flew low over the
field.

GREAT BLUE HERONS flew in and out of nests at the active Heron Rookery
in cottonwoods along the Snoqualmie River near Carnation Farms. Singing
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, SONG SPARROWS, and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS
serenaded us near Remlingers Farm while the other local residents, SPOTTED
TOWHEES, and DARK-EYED JUNCOS added their trills and accents.

All in all a great spring day of birding and bicycling.

Erin

Bill and Erin Woods Woods Tree Farm Redmond, WA U.S.A.
<wwwbike at halcyon.com>