Hi Tweets,

I had to work in Issaquah yesterday and decided to try
for the Harris's Sparrow and White-throated Sparrow
which were previously reported at the corner of W.
Snoqualmie River Rd. SE. and Main St. near Carnation.
I figured a short stop here was more or less on my way
so it was worth a try.

Right after turning onto W. Snoqualmie River Rd. NE
from NE Tolt Hill Road, I noticed a large swampy area
with lots of dead snags. I hit the brakes.

"Wow, this looks like it would be great habitat" I
then got out of the car and noticed the sign that said
"Seattle Audubon Society Carnation Marsh." Anyway, I
decided to take a look at what was around since it
looked like it was a really cool spot. I'd wondered
where it was before beacuse I'd heard about it, but
never really looked for it.

The first thing I noticed when I stepped out of the
car was a RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER in the snag right
next to the road. While I was watching the sapsucker,
I heard a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK start to call in the
background. It called incessantly for about 15
minutes which allowed me to find it perched on a snag
quite a ways back from the road. It was a juvenile,
and closely resembeled the bird at Spencer
Island.After watching this bird for about 10 minutes I
had to press on so as not to be late to work.

I stopped at the intersection where the Harris's
Sparrow was reported but could not find it in the
large flock of White-crowned sparrows. There is also
a large flock of juncos here. I was ignoring the
juncos and walking down the road looking at
Whie-crowns and Golden-crowns. I decided to head back
to the car. When I turned the corner I noticed a
strange looking junco in the road nest to the car. I
looked at it through the bins and was amazed that I
was actually looking at one of the "Gray-headed"
forms. It stayed for about a minute kicking and
picking at the grit on the road and shoulder, until
some people came by on bikes and sent it scurrying
into the blackberries.

Michael Dossett
Bothell
Phainopepla at yahoo.com

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