Hello Tweeters & Birding Friends:
The Rainier Audubon Society would like to invite you to one of their monthly
fieldtrips to Green River Natural Resources Area (Kent Ponds). Your leader
will be Michele Herzberg, an experienced birder and fieldtrip leader. Let
us
guide you into a great birding area. We will have handouts and maps of
surrounding birding areas and trails. Here is the press release: (See
below this release for directions and some recent sightings.)
-------------------
On Saturday, Jan. 22, Rainier Audubon Society Naturalists will lead a
field trip into the heart of the Green River Natural Resources Area (GRNRA)
in Kent. This is a unique opportunity to visit a refuge area within the
GRNRA that is not usually accessible to the public. A spotting scope will
be available and we will enjoy opportunities to observe woodland birds,
waterfowl and raptors.
We will meet at the GRNRA parking lot across from Van Doren Park on Russell
Road at 8am, rain or shine. We'll be entering a wildlife-sensitive area
and will therefore need to minimize visual and audible disturbance, please
leave pets at home. Also, please be aware that the terrain is level but
unpaved. Dress for the weather and bring binoculars (if you have
them), snacks and water.
Call early to reserve your spot on this
unique trip! To sign up please call the Rainier Audubon Voice Mail at
(253) 939-6411, say you want to join us for the GRNRA Public Bird & Nature
Walk and leave your name and day or evening telephone number [or send an
email to the address below]. [This week we prefer email.]
---------------
This is a good time of year to observe Raptors at GRNRA. There should be
Red-tailed Hawks, Harriers (as many as 5 of them!), Eagles, at least one
Peregrine Falcon, and a Kestrel. Occasionally we see a Merlin and a
Cooper's Hawk. And recently there have been two Rough-legged Hawks in the
valley. They do come up to the Ponds. It is quite unusual to have them in
the Kent Valley, so one of them would be a very good sighting.
There should be some small birds, and some ducks and water birds.
This birdwalk is especially interesting because we will be entering at the
Animal Shelter, after meeting at the main gate. The An. Shelter entrance
accesses a road with a much closer view of the ponds, in fact we'll be right
next to the main pond. This area is ordinarily not open to the public.
So join us on Saturday at 8:00 AM. The walk will end at Noon
(approximately). Bring scopes if you have them.
Please send replies (or questions) to:
Carol Schulz
DesMoines
linusq at worldnet.att.net
206-824-7618 before 9 PM (I prefer email)
------------------
DIRECTIONS:
On I-5 south of Seattle take exit 152 (near SeaTac Airport). Go east (it's
Orillia Road) down to the Kent valley and continue on Orillia (which turns
to S. 212th) to the Green River (approx 2/3 mile after getting down to the
flats). Go over the Green River and take an immediate right (go south) on
Russell Road. Russell Rd. is on the east side of the Green River. Go about
1/3 mile to the 2nd paved parking lot on the left. This is the main
entrance to the GRNRA (Kent Ponds). It is across the road from VanDoren
Landing Park, which has restrooms.
If you are coming west on W. 212th St., you can't turn south onto Russell
Road because there's no left turn lane. Go west ~2/3 mile on 212th to the
left turn lane and do a U-turn. Come on back to the Green River/Russell
Road turnoff.