Subject: King County 10/22
Date: Oct 22 19:19:43 2003
From: Charlie Wright - charlie at birdwright.com


All,
Some notes from birding in several local areas with Carol Schulz today, from
around 8am until 3 in the afternoon. Best bird was a juvenile Brant near
Kent, plumaged appropriately for a Black Brant (nigricans). It's in a flock
of about 320 Cackling Canada Geese, in an open field along Frager Road near
where it connects to West Valley. We did have some other birds today
between Auburn and Renton.

Canada Goose (320 minima, 5 parvipes/taverneri)-Frager Rd fields; etc.
Greater White-fronted Goose (4 ad., 1 juv.)-Frager Rd fields; (17 ad., 1
juv.)-Coulon Park.
Brant (1 HY nigricans)-Frager Rd fields.
Canvasback (44)-Coulon Park.
Redhead (1 m., 1 f.)-Coulon Park.
Horned Grebe (12)-Coulon Park; (1)-Southcenter Ponds.
Eared Grebe (2)-Coulon Park.
Pied-billed Grebe (1)-Coulon Park.
Western Grebe (130)-Coulon Park.
Long-billed Dowitcher (23)-285th St. ponds (extremely flooded).
California Gull (200)-285th St. ponds; etc.
Thayer's Gull (1 ad.)-Cedar River delta.
Herring Gull (10 ad., 2 juv.)-Cedar River delta.
Common Yellowthroat (1)-Frager Rd along Green R.
White-crowned Sparrow (6 pugetensis, 8 gambelii)-Frager Rd.

To get to Coulon Park, take exit 5 off I-405. You'll go down the hill on
Park Avenue to the light at the bottom. Turn right on Lake Washington Blvd,
go about a block and turn left into the park, then stay to the left and
enter the parking lot. The best views of Lake Washington are from the
island reached by walking a short boardwalk.

Note: Don't be fooled as we were (temporarily) by the Peregrine Falcon
recording being belted forth from the top of two gazebos across the way at
Ivar's seafood place.

For birding at the Cedar River Delta, go back out to Park Ave and turn right
(south), continuing about half a mile mile to 6th St. Turn right at 6th and
drive to the Cedar River. Turn right at the river and follow it to the lake
and Cascade Canoe & Kayak. You can now access the convenient viewing area
around the Kayak Center during all park hours, which I assume means any day
of the week.

Cheers and good birding.
--
Charlie Wright
Sumner, WA
charlie at birdwright.com