Hey tweets, Today was an exceptionally fine day at the Tom Lord Nature Trail
in northeast Seattle. The highlight was undoubtedly a flock of 7 WESTERN
GREBES on the lake, in the company of a CANVASBACK, a couple of HORNED
GREBES, and COMMON GOLDENEYE. Also a delight was a flock of about 40 PINE
SISKINS.

The Tom Lord Nature Trail is a wooded trail along a disused road behind the
Villa Academy. This is private property, but the Villa welcomes birders, as
long as we respect the fact that this is a school (so don't bother the kids
and don't park on the site). The best way to access the trail is to park on
the street near the corner of NE 50th Street and Nicklas Place NE. At this
corner is a gate and drive up into the school property. Just inside the gate
on the left is the entrance to the Tom Lord Nature Trail. It's chained to
keep cars off, but it's okay to walk on down to the lake. If the gate is
locked (as it often is on Sundays), then please don't enter.

As you walk down the trail, you will pass through third-growth forest of
alder, western red cedar, madrone, Douglas fir and bigleaf maple, along with
a lot of underbrush that makes good habitat for lowland forest birds. I've
seen band-tailed pigeons in here, lots of warblers in season, sparrows,
hawks, etc.

Today I saw:
horned grebe
pied-billed grebe
western grebe
double-crested cormorant
Canada goose
mallard
gadwall
canvasback
ring-necked duck
bufflehead
common goldeneye
common merganser
bald eagle
sharp-shinned hawk
American coot
glaucous-winged gull
rock pigeon
Anna's hummingbird
belted kingfisher
northern flicker
Steller's jay
American crow
black-capped chickadee
chestnut-backed chickadee
bushtit
Bewick's wren
winter wren
golden-crowned kinglet
ruby-crowned kinglet
American robin
spotted towhee
song sparrow
golden-crowned sparrow
pine siskin- Connie, Seattle

csidles at isomedia.com