Hi Tweeters,

The Red Crossbills are once again flocking to our feeder near Deer
Harbor, along with bright Purple and House Finches. Rufous
Hummingbirds are displaying in large numbers. Our usual
Chestnut-backed Chickadees and Red-breasted Nuthatches join numerous
Pine Siskins at the feeder. We had a long look a Townsend?s Solitaire,
a bird we rarely see around here. The Turkey Vultures are appearing in
greater numbers.

Back in Seattle a kayak trip along the Ship Canal revealed a beautiful
Redhead drake near the fish ladder at the U. of W. School of Fisheries.
It seems to us that there were several reports on Tweeters of a
Redhead in the same area last year. We wonder if it is the same guy?
Several large flocks of Lesser Scaups were feeding near SPU. High in
the cottonwoods along the canal large numbers of Double-crested
Cormorants were roosting.

Many large turtles were basking in the sun on logs on the edge of the
marsh. Does anyone know the species of the predominant turtle around
Montlake? The carapace of some was nearly 12?. They all seem to be
marked the same with a reddish plastron. Are they introduced
Red-Bellied turtles?

Marsh Wrens and Red-winged Blackbirds were staking out their
territories.

What a way to spend the warmest day of the year!

Don and Sandi McVay
Deer Harbor and Queen Anne
dmcvay at cmc.net