Tweets,

I've discovered that Tweeters is a great resource for ornithological research. After posting on the scarcity of Sandhill Crane records for King County I received a virtual flood of reports dredged from peoples files and memory banks. This allows a rather neat analysis, which I have pasted in below. If you have further observations for the county, I'd be happy to add them to the compilation.

Gene Hunn
18476 47th Pl NE
Lake Forest Park, WA 98155
enhunn323 at comcast.net.

Sandhill Cranes in King County, Washington..



I have learned of 26 King County records. Of 20 dated records, 2 are for February, 2 for May, 2 for November, and 1 for December. The remaining 13 records fall between 14 September and 19 October. There are reports annually since 1995, no doubt a function of increased observer density. Though some may be birds migrating south from the Pitt Meadows colony east of Vancouver, B.C., the occasional larger flocks suggest that some may derive from breeding populations on northern Vancouver Island, the Queen Charlottes, or southwestern Alaska, the latter most likely "lesser" Sandhills.



Compiled 22 December 2005 by Eugene Hunn, with help from Russell Rogers, Charlie Wright, Ed Swan (Birds of Vashon Island 2005), et al.



9 February 1889, near Kent: 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. . . . (Jewett et al. 1953: 233).



1 May 1892, 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).



10 May 1980, Woodinville: Mark Egger reported 6 in flight over Woodinville (Seattle Audubon Newsletter).



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



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



10 Feb 1995, Kent: 1 (Thais Bock).



10 Nov 1995, Seattle: 1 flying over (Ed Newbold).



18 October 1996, on a farm near near Duvall: 1 (Dave Beaudette, Ken Knittle, and Ken Koster the farm owner).



November 1997, Kent, GRNRA and Smith Brothers' Dairy: "On my 1997 King County year list I noted that I saw Sandhill Cranes in November - unsure of the exact day though. I think this is part of the same group that Roger Orness had seen at an 'unspecified date'. If my memory serves me correctly they were first seen at the Kent Ponds and later (when I saw the small group) they were in flight over the Smith Dairy. I will check with Roger and see if he has any more info" (Jim Flynn).



25 Sep 1998, Discovery Park: 3 at Discovery Park (Kraig Kemper).



4 Oct 1998, at Kent: 1 (Gene Revelas).



14 Oct 1999, at Discovery Park: 3 (Tom Aversa).



4 November 2000, Medina: 18 in flight (Hal Opperman).



23 September 2001, Juanita Bay Park: 2 (MaryFrances Mathis).



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



Fall 2002, Vashon Island: Bob Seibold reported 1 behind the K2 plant (Swan 2005:157).



13 October 2002, Kent, GRNRA: 1 by the census team (fide Charlie Wright, Brett Wolfe).



19 Oct 2002, Kent, Boeing Ponds: 1 flying over (perhaps the same as on the 13th, fide Charlie Wright).



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



20 September 2004, Kent: 1 flew over a residential area (Linda Bartlett).



30 September 2004, Hunt's Point, Bellevue: "about 30" migrating (Stuart Wechsler).



30 September 2004, Milton, on the King/Pierce county line: 26 high overhead, later that same day, possibly the same flock (oger Orness; fide Brett Wolfe).


8-17 December 2005, in a field 2 miles nw of Fall City: 1 (Alan Bauer, mob.).



Vague reports:



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



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).



9 February: 1889, large flocks.

10 February 1995, 1.

1 May 1892, 39.

10 May 1980, 6.

14 September 1980, 1.

14 September 1995, 1.

20 September 2004, 1.

23 September 2001, 2.

25 September 1998, 3.

30 September 2004, 26.

4 October 1998, 1.

12 October 1980, 2.

13 October 2002, 1.

13 October 2003, 1.

14 October 1999, 3.

18 October 1996, 1.

19 October 2002, 1.

4 November 2000, 18.

10 November 1995, 1.

8-17 December 2005, 1.