I took advantage of the beautiful morning for a walk around Lord Hill Park
in Snohomish County. I had the place to myself this morning, which was a
nice juxtaposition from yesterdays trip with 30 students to the skagit
flats. I hiked up to the high point known as the Rocky Bald, with a nice
southern exposure and sat and enjoyed the warm morning sunshine. I had a
perfect perch to watch what turned out to be a peregrine soaring
effortlessly on the thermals, banking and zigzagging through the deciduous
treetops below me. Very effective back and forth flight pattern covered the
hillside pretty completely that was then repeated on the west facing slope a
bit to the east of the draw. No breakfast there so the falcon pumped up a
few hundred feet then cruised a bit faster in and out of the conifers on a
small hill below and to the south of my perch. Finally the bird wheeled over
and began flying in earnest to the east and out of view. This is the third
year in a row I have seen a peregrine in the southern end of this park.
Later while hiking the pipeline trail I came across a coyote who was also
making a zigzag course in the grass along the trails edge. It had its nose
down and was moving at that deceptively sideways sort of lope that coyotes
use. The coyote stopped and looked up just as a Harrier came zooming over
the small hill and low to the ground. The coyote crouched down a bit as the
harrier approached and the bird swerved around the mammal, then continued
zooming along, going right past me at shoulder level, turning its head and
giving me a glance as it passed by. Along the Temple pond loop a dark blob
turned out to be a nice look at a western Screech owl, convieniently perched
just slightly above eye level along the trail. It did not move as I passed
within 15 feet of it. I supposed it was hoping I really didn't notice her
there. The clouds and wind picked up, so did my pace and I reached the
parking area, just as it began to rain. A dark shadow overhead made me look
up as a bald eagle soared just at tree top level. On the way down the road,
perched within 40 feet of one another were a coopers and a sharp-shinned
hawk. There was a convienant pull out and I got to study these two birds. A
kestrel was perched on a wire a few hundred yards later and as I pulled in
to the turn off on 522, a redtail soared down and landed on something on the
side of the highway. The hawk was eating whatever it was as I made my left
turn to head home. Not a bad bird of prey morning.


Rob Sandelin
Naturalist, Writer
The Environmental Science School
http://www.nonprofitpages.com/nica/SVE.htm
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