Spent the early afternoon with students on a beaver pond, meadow area of
Lord Hill Park. One of those impossible to teach anything days as there was
just too much nature calling to the kids. And me too. Tons of insects, lots
of salamander eggs, and garter snakes everywhere. I was with a small group
up the pond counting NW salamander egg masses when a redtail stopped all our
progress by soaring low over our heads. 5 of us admired the bright tail and
underside of this bird as it passed overhead 4 times in a tight circle. Then
it dropped, talons out and landed in the dry, old reed canary grass at the
ponds edge, squirmed for a second, then lifted off, a largish garter snake
in wriggling in its talons, passing over the head of one of students maybe
all of 8 feet. The description of this by the student to the others was
right out of the turtle scene in Finding Nemo. "Dude! First it was like,
whoa, then it was bam, then was like soaring off, whoa, like totally
awesome dude!"

Rob Sandelin
South Snohomish County at the headwaters of Ricci Creek
Sky Valley Environments <http://www.nonprofitpages.com/nica/SVE.htm>
Field skills training for student naturalists
Floriferous at msn.com