Hello Tom,
The Clark's grebe is very uncommon here, but the Western can be abundant!;
Most of the grebe species only winter in the Des Moines Marina area, and
will have moved out by the time you arrive. You do have a very good chance
of seeing Pileated woodpeckers in many of the larger wooded parks in King
County, such as Seward, Carkeek, Discovery, and Lincoln plus the really
large parks east of Lake Washington. I am cc'ing this to Tweeters in
general, so others may reply to your request. Where, in the Puget Sound
area, to find these grebes most reliably the 3rd week of April?
Cheers,
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-
************************************************
On Mon, 23 Mar 1998, Tom Richards wrote:

> Maureen Ellis, my name is Tom and I am in San Antonio TX. I saw your
> email in Tweeter dated Mar.22 and am taking the liberty of contacting
> you.
> My son lives in Kent and when I was there last Sept. I went birding at a
> park west of Kent where the hwy./road runs into the sound. I think it
> was in Des Moines but I can't find my WA map. Yes, it was DM Park (I
> just looked up my note on American Widgeon).
> Anyway, I'm going to be up there Apr. 15, 16, 17 to see my new grandson
> and would like to do some birding. Any suggestions for places. I think
> someone from Bellevue is going to take me out one morning/afternoon but
> that is not confirmed at this time.
> Also, questions on two birds in particular: What are my odds of seeing
> a Western, or Clark's, grebe and a Pileated Woodpecker?
> Any help you could lend would be appreciated
> --
> Tom Richards-BikeE
>
> All big dogs live at the foot of the hill.
>