Subject: Kent Ponds, Boeing Ponds, Oct. 12th
Date: Oct 13 16:43:00 2003
From: Tom Cotner - tcotner at u.washington.edu



Hi All,

It was an incredibly windy day Sunday, so we ventured out to the Kent
Ponds to see what had blown in. Or by.

Highlights included:
Great Egret
American Pipits--40-50 (at Boeing Ponds; 1-2 seemed to have pale legs)
Greater White-Fronted Geese--59 in 3 separate flocks
Wood ducks--3
Kestrel
Female N. harrier

Non-bird highlight: long-tailed weasel, dead, with what appeared to be
two symmetrical talon marks on each side of the body below the shoulders.

The Greater White Fronted Geese were having a hard time heading into the
southerly winds. One flock landed ~ 1/2 mile away and we were able to
follow them and see them on the ground. The other two flocks of 20+
birds flew directly over us very low so we could see them clearly and
hear them calling. The interesting thing was the method that they
appeared to use to draft into the wind. Instead of forming a stable "V"
that we are used to seeing with Canadas, the front line would undulate as
they appeared to trade the lead every few seconds. They were getting
pretty battered and appeared to be flying on an oblique (mostly SSW) to
the wind, rather than directly south into the teeth of it. In some cases
the new leader would come from one of the flanking birds that was just
trailing the leader, in other cases the leader appeared from the trailing
edge ie, end of the "Vee". Some of the trailing birds that were behind
the leader seemed to be in a plane just below the leaders, although it is
possible this may have been an illusion, given the height and distance.

Tom Cotner
Seattle