Hi Tweeters,

I get my birding often in snippets and the snippets
this week have been so very rewarding.

Yesterday the highlights of Medina Park didn't involve
the Great Blue Herons. It was the Ruby Crowned
Kinglets and a female Mallard who stole the show.
There was a very loose flock of about 7 or 8 RC
Kinglets in the back part of the park one was singing,
two interacted and during this interaction one opened
its mouth wide and held it open long enough for me to
see the inner lining of orangish yellow. I half
expected a begging type display to go with but the
open mouth was it. Another kinglet flashed it's red
crest. If you haven't heard a RC Kinglet sing it
might be worth checking this location out in the next
day or so. Two of them were just happily singing away
today. They have the most unusual song. It starts
with a very high pitched introduction that goes up the
scale and then they launch into a rapid fire song that
I can't even begin to describe but is lovely to hear.
The two parts of their song don't seem to correlate at
all in regards to pitch or tune.

The female mallard just cracked me up. I saw it's
presumed mate on the path acting wierd and agitated.
It kept looking up and lo and behold the female was
sitting on top of one of the tall fir stumps the park
so thoughtfully left up for the cavity nesters.
Probably 20 feet or more up. I have never seen a
mallard roost up so high. It was there again in the
same spot on top of the stump today. It would be
worth a picture if I had a decent camera.

Yesterday was ho hum for the herons, but not today.
Nine herons around the heron tree. The odd heron out
really was attempting to stir up trouble with the top
nest. I don't know what was going on but very
interesting to watch. It was nice to see the presumed
mate for the new nest nearby but something just
doesn't seem right with this heron. Very apathetic
bird.

I see the Green Heron nearly every time I visit
lately. If you go, just scan the rockery closely
around the heron pond and it is likely to be foraging
around the rocks. I keep hoping to see some other
(nesting) type behavior from the green heron but not
yet anyway.

The corvids on the other hand are in full nesting
mode. Several crows were busy bringing nesting
material to a nest in the tall firs between the ponds
this morning. Also on my way to catch the bus at
Evergreen Point Park and Ride (which is in the Medina
neighborhood) this morning I saw a pair of Stellar's
Jays gathering mud to line their nest. Fun to see!

On the bus I got to see 4 Red Necked Grebes off of 520
this morning. Many swallows as well, and 3 Great Blue
Herons foraging around the edges of Foster Island.

On the other side of the water before work on Monday I
got to see my first successful Bald Eagle hunt. I
have watched them hunt before but somehow missed the
ending each time. An immature eagle caught a coot
across from the UW campus on Portage Bay. One of the
house boat owners was out and watching the whole thing
across the way. It all happened right in front of the
house boat owner.

It's been a great week!

Directions to Medina Park in case you missed them from
my previous posts: NE 8th exit off of I405, go west,
stay on NE 8th past Bellevue Square Mall, NE 8th
turns into NE 12th. At 5 way stop (not light) the
park is just beyond on the left. Park in NE 12th
parking lot and the heron tree and pond is right in
front of you.

Kathy

Kathy Andrich
Roosting in Renton
chukarbird at yahoo.com

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