On Tuesday evening in Seattle a friend and I paddled a kayak along Magnolia
Bluff to West Point. Bird-wise it wasn't terribly productive, but it was a
great little trip after a hard day of water quality work on Lake Sammamish.
A number of young Caspian terns called and flew around us in pursuit of
their parents, who were diligently fishing.
While the highlight of the trip was the spectacular sunset and view of Mt
Rainier, we were also enthralled with the acoustics of the bare south bluff
at Discovery Park. An osprey was calling repeatedly from the bottom of the
bluff, and the hard surface amplified the sound tremendously for those in
the proper seats offshore. It was like a concert hall for the osprey, with
the woeful cries of pigeon guillemots joining in around us. I suspect the
show is repeated through much of the summer.
Along the bluff I scoped out some potential martin box sites for next year;
they would have some great waterfront views of the mountains and sunsets.

Kevin Li
Seattle, WA
e-mail: kevin.li at metrokc.gov