I am with you, Martyn, about the Canada Geese. I saw several families at
the Fill yesterday and hoped so much that they would make it through the
molting season without the City and the Feds gassing them. I have been a
part of the protest against the insane killing and will be again this year
if they do it. I understand the Mayor said last year that the killing would
not take place this year. I sure hope he keeps to his word.

The Fill was SO ALIVE yesterday. It was wonderful. Songs were coming from
all corners and the birds were so active and busy. I saw a personal 2nd
best total of 35 species and I didn't even make it to Union Bay.

Margaret Parkinson
University District, Seattle.


-----Original Message-----
From: TWEETERS-owner at u.washington.edu
[mailto:TWEETERS-owner at u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Martyn Stewart
Sent: Monday, April 19, 2004 2:03 PM
To: denis.j.desilvis at boeing.com; tweeters at u.washington.edu;
Victoria.T.Luiting at nws02.usace.army.mil; 'Woods, Roxie J'
Subject: RE: On the Duwamish - 4-19-2004

And it always makes me sick when people say "geese make a mess" they gas the
geese, I wish we could do the same to the people who trash our environment!!

Martyn

Martyn Stewart
Bird and Animal Sounds Digitally Recorded at:
http://www.naturesound.org
N47.65543 W121.98428
Redmond. Washington. USA
Make every Garden a wildlife Habitat!

The Spring is cum
The grass is riz
I wonder where the birdies is?

The birdies on the wing!
Nah, that's absoid
D' wing is on d' boid!
..........................

-----Original Message-----
From: TWEETERS-owner at u.washington.edu
[mailto:TWEETERS-owner at u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Desilvis, Denis J
Sent: Monday, April 19, 2004 12:42 PM
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu; Victoria.T.Luiting at nws02.usace.army.mil;
Woods, Roxie J; Crouch, Kelly L
Subject: On the Duwamish - 4-19-2004

11:31am start - water level low - most mudflats exposed
12:04pm end

Tweeters,
The Monday morning "blahs" extended to a visit to "my" spot on the river: I
just couldn't get excited. Usually, I can overlook all the refuse--tire
carcasses, dead cans, a basketball, netting, decrepit pieces of downed
piers, a beached barge, wire cable, huge chunks of concrete, among other
things--along the river, but today it just weighed me down. Everywhere you
look along the mudflats shows the disregard some have for this resource. If
it weren't for the folks like those in People for Puget Sound and others
committed to restoration along the lower Duwamish, it seems as if all we'd
have is refuse. Fortunately, and this is more of a cheering thought, such
people are here. More power to them.

I keep looking for shorebirds, but haven't seen so much as a Killdeer since
December 1. I thought I heard one (Killdeer) calling from across Turning
Basin #3, but without visual confirmation it may well have been a starling
imitation. The Hamm Creek OSPREYS are ensconced, but the female hasn't laid
any eggs, as far as I can determine. And it appears as if the MEW GULLS have
left for sure, even though today there might have been a subadult bird
flying by as I took the scope out of the truck (brief glimpse: seemed
smaller than a Glaucous-winged Gull, but not enough of a view to verify).
Blah.

Birds seen during this scan include the following:
Canada Goose (3)
Gadwall (4)
Bufflehead (2)
Double-crested Cormorant (4)
Osprey (2)
Red-tailed Hawk
Glaucous-winged Gull (10)
Rock Pigeon (8)
American Crow (7)
Black-capped Chickadee
Bewick's Wren
American Robin (2)
European Starling (14)
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
House Finch (6; 4 across the river)
House Sparrow (2)

May all your birds be identified,

Denis DeSilvis
Seattle, WA
mailto:denis.j.desilvis at boeing.com