Tweets,

Great birds popping up every day. 4 Turkey Vultures overhead and 30 Evening
Grosbeaks at the feeder yesterday, and today 6 American Goldfinches at the
feeder (using up the end of the winters sunflower seeds). I came home
yesterday to find a really cute Douglas Squirrel sitting happily on the
inside of the "squirrel proof" feeder munching away on seeds. Got to
withing 5 feet and should have some great pictures (at least the Greys are
kept out). My resident Western Screech Owl is back, dropping the rubber
ball almost all night long...every night and whitewashing the cedar under
his perch.

On my walk this morning I found a dog collar in the middle of the trail - it
had multiple tags on it, indicating that the collar was supposed to be on
the small poodle belonging to my next door neighbor. I picked it up and
carried it home - and only when I got inside did I realize the collar was
torn in half, and blood soaked. I brought the collar to the neighbors who
were grief stricken - it seems a coyote had snatched the poodle while they
were gardening yesterday evening, only twenty feet from them in the middle
of our court. The coyotes here are bold and have snatched two other small
dogs over the last year. We've also had several black bears, a bobcat and 2
years ago, a cougar within a block or so of the house - well withing the
Bellevue City limits. Just one more reason to keep pets inside!

Good birding to all!

Rob Conway
Bellevue, WA / NY, NY

robin_birder at hotmail.com

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com