Okay, these stories also reminded me of the time this
summer (August) sitting with our German exchange
daughter at a picnic table in the parking lot of a
burger joint just southwest of Mt. Si, with a great
view of that peak. I saw a quick movement coming down
from the sky (silhouetted) so immediately focused
attention on it to see what it was, thinking at first
glance, "BIG crow" since it was about that size. As it
came into focus, it disappeared behind a van on the
other side of the lot (about 35 feet away) and as it
appeared on the other side, it was almost at ground
level and suddenly "snap" it had snatched a little
house sparrow up off the ground and was laboring it's
way back up and up, with the little bird making
pitiful little sounds. Well, my burger didn't taste
quite the same after that but it was a real "nature"
moment (even if in a parking lot) and as you say, the
birds of prey must eat, too. The bird appeared to be
a merlin, although it was moving so fast the whole
time, it was hard to tell. I suppose it could have
been a kestrel, but it seemed a bit large for that.

Danene Warnock
Bellevue, WA
northwestmom at yahoo.com


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