Hi Tweets,

This was the third time I have been out to Alder Lake in the last week or so. My husband even took me out on the lake a few evenings ago. It is so nice and quiet there now, but I am sure when all the campgrounds open to the public it will be loud and noisy with people.

This morning my biggest find was a Townsend Solitaire, a life bird for me. I was at the dam and spotted what I thought was a robin on the concrete wall. But it was not, so as I was trying to take mental notes as to the eye ring etc the bird flies in closer, then closer again. Finally he/she is only 10 feet away on the road trying to eat a tiny salamander! Guess they do not taste good because after 3 attempts to pick this 2 inch very slender salamander the bird gives up and flies again to another wall. I stepped up to see the smallest salamander in the known world and found two earthworms buried in the dirt and debris. The TS is now attacking a large insect just feet from my head on the grassy bank above the wall. I flicked the worms out into the road and just got back to my original position when the TS is at those worms, down they went without much hesitation. This is a hungry bird. And it is not everyday one can say she fed a Townsend Solitaire!

My low came on the way back to the car. I passed again the part in the trail where I am buzzed by a Rufus Hummer, a female again in the same spot she was annoyed at me before about 6 days ago. So finally my mind starts working and I wonder if she has a nest nearby. In about 30 seconds I see it! the sad part is that it is right above my head a few feet, just out of arms reach but, right over the trial where hundreds of people will be tramping by in the days to come. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the young will be fledged by the time the trail is used non stop.

The rest of the birds in no particular order:

a pair of Ravens, silent
a pair of crows, one crow was saying UMMMBOB. He was down at the dam a few minutes before where some workers had drove up and I heard him from the park, when I started back down that way to see what in the heck was making that noise he met me on the trial, he flew to a tree and gave the UMMMBOB noise again.
a pair of Loons, calling
a pair of Osprey, chirping (there are 3 nests that I know of and 6 adult birds seen at one time)
one bald eagle
one juv eagle lands in a small tree right over my head!

Canada geese, mallards,
white crowned sparrows, chestnut- backed chickadees, golden crowned kinglets, spotted towhee's, robins, violet-green swallows, juncos, song sparrows and a red breasted nuthatch.

Birds that I did not see today but have in the past:

Varied Thrush, Ruffed Grouse, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Common Mergansers, Northern Harrier, Turkey Vultures, Great Blue Heron.

Dawn Bailey
Eatonville, WA
mailto:dawnsdog at rainierconnect.com

The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live,
mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time,
the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn,
burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars
and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes "Awww!
~ Jack Kerouac