We searched the Samish Flats Saturday the 15th and could not
find the Eurasian Kestrel, nor did we talk to anyone else
who had seen it. But it was a beautiful day to be birding,
with the bright red and yellow blueberry bushes in the
foreground, and the snowy Cascades in the distance.

Later the same day, we drove through the Skagit Valley and
came upon a flock of thousands of snow geese in a field
right next to a heavily travelled road. It was traffic
chaos, with cars stopped and slowing down, horns honking,
and people getting out to cross the road and get a closer
look at the huge flock. To top it off, Mt. Baker came out
of the clouds and provided a glorious backdrop to the geese.
Those of us who were photographing the flock were praying
that "someone else" would panic the birds, scaring them up
all at once. But all the viewers and photographers were
good little boys and girls, and the birds stayed on the
ground. It is always wondrous to view one of nature's
spectacles.

Lee Rentz
Shelton, WA
lee at leerentz.com