This time I didn't forget the binoculars. My wife and I walked "the
blackberry row" at PLU on Sunday the 9th. While hope was high for some
sightings we weren't expecting a birage of tweets. It is possible that this
is to be expected there, I just haven't done that walk much, except to
harvest the berries. Close to the music hall were about a dozen Ruby-Crowned
Kinglets. They were playing hide and seek about 10 feet from us. I just can't
get enough of these micro-birds! A mix of sparrows and finches were found
next. At least 50 of both house and house. We then encountered a couple of
Northern Flickers who seemed quite comfortable ground feeding about 30 feet
or so ahead of us. We got close, they flew through the trees and out again on
the trail. Many chickadees, both b/c and c/b along with stellar jays ahead in
the shrubs. The highlight for the both of us were a pair of Varied Thrush. I
have never seen a male so deeply colored. We were able to stand and watch the
two of them hopping in and out of some lower growth for 20 plus minutes. All
the birds seemed to be in such a playful mood and it definitely made our day!

Jeff Smith
jpsdiver at aol.com
Parkland, WA.