Subject: Whoa!! Late purple martin babies!!
Date: Sep 1 14:39:15 1999
From: Li, Kevin - Kevin.Li at METROKC.GOV


Purple Martin update:

Yesterday evening Kris Baker and I checked on the Ballard purple martin pair
with our spotting scopes, and we could see three nestlings jostling for
feeding position at the nest box entrance. My guess is that they might
fledge in a week or so, very much later than usual. After further jostling
from within the box, I saw a tail stick out and one of the nestlings pooped
adroitly out the entrance, and then turned around again to look for more
food. We probably saw about ten feedings in half an hour or so. The young
ones are easy to spot with their huge gaping yellow mouths.
August 8 I had counted 4 eggs, so there could be another nestling inside.

Today's water quality field run around Lake Washington provided me with
views of 4 ospreys, 2 from the Evergreen Pt. Bridge by the arboretum, and 2
off of Rainier Ave, south of Rainier Beach.

Kevin Li
King County Environmental Lab
322 West Ewing St.
Seattle, WA 98119

Mailstop: LAB-NR-0100

(206) 684-2344

Visit our Lakes website:
http://splash.metrokc.gov/wlr/waterres/lakes/index.htm



> ----------
> From: MBlanchrd at aol.com[SMTP:MBlanchrd at aol.com]
> Reply To: MBlanchrd at aol.com
> Sent: Wednesday, September 01, 1999 1:11 PM
> To: TWEETERS at u.washington.edu
> Subject: Whoa!! Late babies!!
>
> Hi, Tweeters,
>
> Just when I figured my American goldfinches were all done and gone for the
>
> season, I had an adult male show up yesterday evening with FIVE, count
> 'em,
> FIVE begging babies in tow. The male is already out of breeding plumage
> and
> he still is feeding the young ones, and they're still, apparently, unable
> to
> feed themselves, judging from the pleading and wing wagging.........
>
> My cliff swallows were out of the nest as of Monday...
>
> Michelle
> Littlerock, WA
>