I too spent the first day of Spring in the Carnation area (Tolt-McDonald
Park, across the river) with a variety of feathered folks, including a pair
of red-breasted sapsuckers intently working on enlarging a hole in a fine
snag. They didn't appreciate our scrutiny after awhile, though, and one of
them dive bombed my long-suffering husband (he's not a birder, but he's
better at spotting birds than I am. We make a great team -- he finds them,
I identify them and get excited about it).

Other highlights included a flock of 16 American pipits splashing at the
edges of the Snoqualmie River on a cobble bar; a pair of red tail hawks
making frequent visits to their nest, which presumably housed hungry chicks;
a sizeable flock of Steller's jays intent on hounding the hawks and fooling
gullible birders into thinking the hawks were calling from every corner of
the forest; a pair of fox sparrows approaching ever nearer to make sure we
got a good look at their bold plumage; and an enormous ancient cherry tree
in full bloom and so alive with bees that you had to plug your ears to walk
past.

Happy Spring!
Katie

Katie Sauter Messick
King County DNRP, Water and Land Resources
201 S. Jackson St., Suite 600
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 263-5086
katie.messick at metrokc.gov
Lakes: http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wlr/waterres/smlakes/index.htm
Salmon Watcher: http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wlr/waterres/salmon/index.htm



-----Original Message-----
From: Bruce Moorhead [mailto:bruceb at olypen.com]
Sent: Sunday, March 21, 2004 10:02 AM
To: Tweeters; Linda Adams
Cc: Bob Norton
Subject: Re: First day of spring with Sapsuckers galore


I too saw was surprised yesterday to see three different male Red-breasted
Sapsuckers, as well as three Hairy Woodpeckers, within about a quarter-mile
during a walk yesterday along the Elwha River road near the Elwha campground
about a mile inside the boundary of Olympic National park. Also at least
25-30 Violet-Green Swallows, the first I've seen this year.

Bruce Moorhead
Port Angeles, WA
bruceb at olypen.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Linda Adams" <dwtg-x2in at spamex.com>
To: "Tweeters" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>; <nisq-asig at spamex.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 20, 2004 8:30 PM
Subject: Re: First day of spring with Sapsuckers galore


> Martyn, the "dating calls" you mention is the same "squeaky" sound I
heard
> them doing this morning at Spanaway Marsh. Quite interesting....
>
> Linda Adams
> Puyallup, WA
> The first day of spring brought a hatful of sapsuckers out, red-breasted
> at that! I got 8 at Carnation marsh, 4 on the same tree with "dating
calls"
> they were chatting up the best bit of stuff around! I got one in Marymoor
> Park and 2 in my garden, 11 for the day was incredible, this was more than
I
> saw in all of last year!
>
> I have a recording of the 4 that were in carnation marsh this morning at
> about 6.30am. Temp was around 29f brrrrrrrrrrr but it was hot for the
> Sapsuckers J
>
>
>
> http://www.naturesound.org/Sound%20Files/Red-Breasted%20sapsucker.mp3
>
>
>
>
>
> At Marymoor Park I saw 5 wood ducks at the boating club, 1 Red-Breasted
> sapsucker on the trail from the dog park to the boardwalk, 3 Rufous
> Hummingbirds just past the boardwalk walking towards the meadow, 5 Western
> Meadowlarks in the meadow, NO Shrike again L
>
>
>
> This was a fruitful day with 22 species in my garden!!!!!
>
>
>
> Spring has sprung
>
>
>
> On a bad note, I found Gun shells around Carnation Marsh behind the No
> Hunting or Shooting signs on the Audubon property, don't tell me they
can't
> read!!
>
>
>
> Martyn
>
>
>
> Martyn Stewart
>
> Birds Sounds Digitally Recorded at:
>
> http://www.naturesound.org
>
> N47.65543 W121.98428
>
> Redmond. Washington. USA
>
> Make every Garden a wildlife Habitat
>
>
>
>
>
>
>