Subject: Seahurst Park, west Burien, WA,10-31-99
Date: Oct 31 21:31:38 1999
From: Maureen Ellis - me2 at u.washington.edu


Hello All,
What a crystalline, sunlit day! Seahurst Park trails were all carpeted
with mostly Big Leaf Maple leaves.......shades of greens, russets,
oranges, lotsa yellows, browns. With the recent rains, everything seemed
freshly washed, and trail footing was soft-sounded on the damp leaves.
The birds of the day were the WINTER Wrens with many, many in the
understory along all the trails I surveyed (north half of the park), and
the GOLDEN-CROWNED Kinglets and ROBIN flocks moving through the canopy.
The Robins were clearly a migrational "wave" as hundreds were seen in the
tree tops. NORTHERN Flickers were also more numerous than usual.

At one stopping place along the trail while I was giving my version of the
Black-capped chickadee "alarm call," I heard a rustling behind me, and
turned..........there were three Winter Wrens, about a meter and a half
way, peering from branches and hopping around each other........these cute
little, perky-tailed, beady-eyed waifs with "we-ARE-having-fun-yet"
expressions had to be this year's hatch. How marvelous that Seahurst's
woods were sure full of this delightful species today! I remember years
ago with so much hope to finally add the Winter Wren to my life list when
I lived in northern Utah, and now, they can be studied closely and
leisurely, steps from my door.

New birds seen on the salt water, in addition to species listed over the
past few weeks, were 2 RED-BREASTED Mergansers and a small flotilla of
BUFFLEHEADS. No Golden-eye ducks, yet, but I did not have time to check
out the Des Moines Marina today to see if they have arrived there. As far
out across the water as could be seen with binocs from the public beach at
Seahurst were hundreds to thousands of birds in various groups of the
expected species. The WESTERN Grebes were in huge rafts about half-way to
the Vashon Island ferry dock.

A small and lovely pink flower is also blooming in wind-sheltered,
sunnyish areas along the trails and gravel roads.........it appears to be
in the Pea family from the leaves and simple flower-structure. It looks
familiar; I'm wondering if it is a non-native escapee, one of those "weeds
of waste places"---cannot find it, yet, in any of my flower books.

Have a positive, fulfilling week,

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-

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