Subject: Sunday 03-07-99 Seahurst Park/Burien, WA.
Date: Mar 7 19:40:31 1999
From: Maureen Ellis - me2 at u.washington.edu


Hello,
What a fabulous day; everyone seemed to behold with awe that shimmering,
warming yellow disk tracking its way (or the Earth turning, of course)
from horizon-east to horizon-west.

Whilst gawking out my upperfloor, canopy-level windows......winter
residents still here include the large flocks of Pine siskins, Dark-eyed
juncoes and the male/female Varied thrushes. At least 3 Band-tailed
pigeons were seen flying across the treetops. Ambling down the trail
toward the Sound was also rewarding: A beautiful male Townsend's warbler,
many, many Robins, a male Downy woodpecker and a very brightly colored
Red-shafted morph of the Northern flicker, mixed flocks of Golden-crowned
kinglets, Black-capped and Chestnut-backed chickadees plus Common
Bushtits, skulking Spotted towhees, singing Bewick's wrens, squawking
Steller's jays, rampages of raucous Crows, and oblivious Song sparrows.

Out on the water were 2 Common loons and scatterings....singles or groups
of 2-4......of White-winged and Surf scoters, Common goldeneyes, Horned
grebes. Gulls included many Glaucous-winged plus a few Mew gulls roosting
on the beach.

And I noticed that the Skunk Cabbage, Lysichitum americanum ssp, is
blooming in the swampy areas in the east areas of the Park just below my
home. And there appear to be freshly worked, rectangular-shaped
'excavation' holes in some of the larger snags; perhaps, a Pileated
woodpecker is about.......I'll keep looking and listening.

A really nice day; every living thing seemed to be grateful!

Cheers,
Maureen Ellis me2 at u.washington.edu U of WA & Burien-Seahurst Park, WA

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

"We are confronted with insurmountable opportunities." -Pogo-