Subject: Pullman notes
Date: Feb 9 19:25:52 2002
From: Kelly Cassidy - lostriver at completebbs.com


Today, I heard a Killdeer flying over the muddy cattle pasture next to my new house in Pullman. I listened to it long enough to be (nearly) certain it wasn't a Starling. Killdeer are rare in Pullman in winter. Probably another indication of how mild the winter has been.

I heard a song I didn't recognize, but couldn't find the singer. When I listened to my tapes, I concluded it was probably a Common Redpool. They've been in the yard but I've only heard their swallow-like calls. On this warm, sunny day, spring feels a little closer, despite all the snow on the ground.

On our morning walks, we keep seeing a bird we think is a Merlin hunting the abandoned wheat fields next to the new housing development by the high school in Pullman. The bird is never there when we remember to bring the binoculars. What is it about binoculars that causes birds to vanish?

Kelly Cassidy
Pullman, WA