Tweets,

I've summarized all the reports for Sandhills for King County I have heard of so far.

Gene Hunn

SANDHILL CRANE. Seventeen King County records, 10 securely dated.



U. Hertz reported "large numbers of 'sandhill cranes' crossing White River Valley (near Kent) in a northerly direction in a continuous stream all the afternoon. Toward night they settled in a swampy pasture. . . . [1892?] (Jewett et al. 1953: 233).



Hertz also saw a small band of cranes flying low at dusk on February 4,1890" (Jewett et al. 1953: 233).



"On May 1, 1892, at Lake Washington, Rathbun saw a flock of 39 cranes going over at a great height, his attention being called to the flock by their rolling notes" (Jewett et al. 1953: 233).



M. Egger reported six in flight over Woodinville 10 May 1980 (Seattle Audubon Newsletter).



E. Ratoosh saw 1 over Magnuson Park, Seattle, on 14 September, 1980 (Seattle Audubon Newsletter).



E. Ratoosh saw 2 over the Montlake Fill, University of Washington campus, on 12 October 1980 (Seattle Audubon Newsletter).



Hal Opperman reported 18 in flight over Medina 4 November 2000 (Tweeters).



MaryFranceis Mathis reported two at Juanita Bay Park 23 September 2001 (Tweeters)..



Kathy Andrich and Bruce Jones report a sighting of Sandhills over the Boeing Ponds in 2001 (Tweeters).



John Friars saw 1 over his house on Vashon Island in September 2002 (Swan 2005:157).



Bob Seibold reported 1 behind the K2 plant on Vashon Island sometime during the fall of 2002 (Swan 2005:157).



Brett Wolfe reported them over the Green River Natural Resource Area during the fall of 2002 (Tweeters).



Peter Murray reported 3 over the Vashon Island golf course 13 October 2003 (Swan 2005:157).



Alan Bauer reported 1 Sandhill Crane in a field 2 miles nw of Fall City 8 December 2005; the bird was relocated 10 December by Eugene & Nancy Hunn and Brien Meilleur, then seen the 11th by Brian Bell and the 13th by Marv Breece (Tweeters).



Joe Van Os reported having seen "small flocks" over his house on Maury Island at some unspecified date (Swan 2005:157; fide Dennis Paulson, Tweeters).



Roger Orness reported seeing Sandhill Cranes in the Kent Valley at some unspecified date (fide Brett Wolfe, Tweeters).



A neighbor of Kathy Andrich reported seeing 3 at the Maplewood Golf Course at Cavanaugh during fall or early winter of some unspecified year (fide Kathy Andrich, Tweeters).



Compiled 13 December 2005 by Eugene Hunn.