Subject: CACKLING GEESE! And Other Sightings
Date: Oct 31 16:18:40 1999
From: Lydia Gaebe - lgaebe at email.msn.com


Hello Tweeties!

I struck paydirt on my second time out today!

I headed up to the Tukwila Pond Park late this morning. Many birds, active
and within view....

NORTHERN SHOVELERS, very busy feeding. Their bills were in the water almost
all the time. Almost all of the birds were the shovelers.
DOUBLE CRESTED CORMORANTS sunning themselves on the old sunken fence posts.
4 of them.
NORTHERN PINTAILS - Quite a few of them
SCAUPS Couldn't tell if they were Greater or Lesser
GREEN HERON
BELTED KINGFISHER
SORA OR Rail of some sort....Heard, not seen.
Several "usual suspect" Canada Geese.
PIED BILL GREBE
Some other Grebe? These other Grebes were more "colorful", and
bigger than the plain little Pied Bill. Although they were bigger
than the pied bill, they didn't have the horned or eared features.

CEDAR WAXWINGS eating bright red berries on nearby shrubs.
AMERICAN ROBIN
CROWS
MALLARDS
COOTS
RING BILLED GULLS
GADWALLS

On my way home I drove by The Lakes subdivision. I spied some Canada Geese
in the man made pond closest to the road. Hmmmmm, I thought to myself. I
parked my car along West James Street and ventured into the subdivision and
the other ponds. PAYDIRT!

Swimming on the biggest pond were the CACKLERS! Hundreds of them! They
were barking like dogs, and just sitting calmly on the water. I got very
good looks at them through my antique binoculars. These geese had very tiny
bills, rounded heads and many had white necklaces of varying width. Some
had ruddy reddish gray breasts.

Some notable examples of the geese:

One of these itty-bitty Canadas had a mottled head and neck. The mottling
was white.

One of the medium sized Canadas had a VERY WIDE white necklace, one of the
biggest necklaces I've ever seen.

A couple of the bigger geese had dark, reddish gray breasts.

One of the Cacklers was wearing a neck band.....Do I report it somewhere?
The band was tan colored and the number looked like "Y7".
******************************************

Also seen at "The Lakes" this afternoon....

GREAT BLUE HERON
BELTED KINGFISHER
WIGEONS - Molting American Widgeons

And a dead DOUBLE CRESTED CORMORANT....looks like it got caught up in some
fishing line.

I had a very good day of almost all birding......Also stopped off at Borders
to look at....Art History Books. ;-)

Lydia In Kent, WA
Lydia Gaebe
lgaebe at msn.com

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