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with any responses : Martin Muller (MartinMuller at email.msn.com)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2001 21:28:27 -0700
From: "MartinMuller" <MartinMuller at msn.com>

Greetings tweeters,

Found some time to spend at my beloved Green Lake (Seattle), these past
few days. Checking on Pied-billed Grebe nests and noticing some other bird
'developments' as well.

Red-winged Blackbirds, according to the literature I have on my shelves,
usually build their nest within about 50 cm of the water surface. You
know, that woven basket attached to cattail stalks. Well, tell that to the
female that built her nest at least 8 meters up in a willow tree. Typical
woven basket, but around willow branches this time. Unfortunately my
attention was drawn to it by the incessant mobbing of a crow (spp.) by
several male red-wings. I didn't see the crow actually get something from
the nest, but then I left before the crow did. This nest can be found
along the western shore of Green Lake, it's the tree along shore at the
northernmost lily patch along Aurora Avenue. Incidentally also the
location of the only grebe nest with eggs (2) at this moment (among the
lilies that is, not in the willow).

Continuing south along Aurora Avenue, when you reach the southern end of
the section along Aurora Avenue, where the cattails with "regular"
red-wings can be found, look and listen for Cedar Waxwings. As reported on
tweeters before by others and myself, waxwings have been present there for
a couple of weeks now. Today I had three birds there. Two of them
apparently fighting. I suspect there's a nest nearby in the trees between
Aurora Avenue and the footpath, but I haven't been able to locate it yet.
The waxwings also mob any crow that lands in any of the trees in that
area. Once I find unequivocal evidence of nesting, that will add the Cedar
Waxwing as a new nesting species to my Green Lake list.

Something new every day.

Cheers,
Martin Muller, Seattle
MartinMuller at email.msn.com