Subject: AM & PM, 03-21-98, Des Moines, WA, Marina
Date: Mar 22 10:55:15 1998
From: Maureen Ellis - me2 at u.washington.edu


Hello during a "Pineapple-express"-as the meteorologists call it-weekend,

Surveyed the Marina and Beach Park both in the morning (9:30) and late
afternoon (4:30)...........
Two species of ducks that may occur here once or twice a year: A pair of
Gadwall and a beautiful drake Pintail hanging out with the ubiquitous
Mallards on the extensive low-tide pebble beach.

There were four Pigeon guillemots, more than usual at one time, with two
of them displaying their charming courtship behavior......chasing and
flying and swimming together with face-to-face bill smacking 'n clapping
plus continuous vocalizing and some mutual head-bobbing. The calls were
somewhat "shorebird"-like and also suggestive of the begging cheeps of
baby birds. I've always been intrigued by the re-cycling of hard-wired
behavior patterns that serve both the bonding of mates and trigger
care-giving to dependent young. Antagonistic and competitive responses
need to be inhibited during these parts of the birds' life cycles. The
efficiency of the merging and blending of the same behaviors is something
remarkable to see......and it works so well, at least for the birds.

Both morning and afternoon, a Merlin was flying about 223rd & 6th
Ave S. spooking lots of other feathered stuff. In the afternoon, a group
of 4+ Band-tailed pigeons were roosting in a tree at Sound's edge on the
north side of the Beach park. The pigeons must be resident here, but
seeing them is unpredictable; they may not be found for weeks or months at
a time.

With respect to small perching birds, there were 3 singing Winter wrens,
5-6 singing Spotted towhees, and uncountable Song sparrows---a lot for the
small wooded area east of the Senior Center. And a Black-capped chickadee
was working in earnest on a nest hole about half way up a power pole on
the road down to the north end of the Marina.

There are no swallow species here yet.

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

"Finding the occasional straw of truth awash in a great ocean of
confusion and bamboozle requires vigilance, dedication, and courage."
-Carl Sagan-