Barbara and I stopped in Kent this morning to find the Redhead at the Boeing
Pond. We found a good assortment of ducks: American Wigeon, Mallard,
Green-winged Teal, Gadwall, Northern Pintail, Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser,
and the Redhead. There were also two Belted Kingfishers sitting side by side
and a young Cooper's Hawk being harassed by four crows. The pond is large
enough, but the buildings are uncomfortably close and people walking past
disturb the ducks. We did, however, notice some joggers moving over to the
other side of the street to avoid disturbing them.

We decided to stop at the Kent Ponds, too, and there was little passerine
activity, possibly because there were so many raptors present: two Northern
Harriers, an adult Cooper's Hawk, three Red-tailed Hawks, an American
Kestrel that made six energetic passes at a Peregrine Falcon, a Short-eared
Owl, and a brownish Northern Shrike. The remaining birds were a couple of
European Starlings, two Spotted Towhees, about ten Song Sparrows, two
Golden-crowned Sparrows, a Western Meadowlark, and two House Finches.

There was a pretty good assortment of waterfowl, but so far away it didn't
seem possible to pick them out very well. We need to figure out how to get
closer to the ponds themselves, but maybe it just isn't possible at that
site. Anyway, it was a pretty rewarding hour and a half in weak sunshine
with temperatures in the mid 50s.

Paul Webster
Seattle
paul.websterATcomcast.net