On 6/14, during our drive to the WOS conference, Alan & I stopped by
Wilson's Creek. We began on the north side and that was where all our
action was. The RT Hawk was calling proudly (and incessantly) as he
flew a youngster around the westernmost cliffs, and further on an adult
Ferruginous circled above us repeatedly, later joined by what appeared
to me to be a juvenile. A lifer for us, the adult looked like the
Sibley drawing and exactly like the photo in the Alden/Paulson Audubon's
guide to the PNW. I photoed the huge stick nest on the eastern cliffs
(I almost never take the time out with a lifer to take a picture of it)
and wondered if it was the Ferruginous home.

We also got Tricolored when a small group of 4 females and several more
female Yellow-headed landed on the wire fence nearby (20' or so) while
feeding in the alfalfa field just north of 23rd NE toward the gate near
the end of the road. I might have seen some males in the marsh, but I
felt much more secure IDing the females nearby. It was sunny at 4 p.m.

Patricia S. Lott
Seattle, WA
mail to: VariedThrush at comcast.net


*****************************
Hi Jack and Tweeters

I stopped by Wilson Creek on the way home from the very successful WOS
conference in Republic. I was able to see two juvenile Ferruginous Hawks
near the nest. The first one was flying and I got a good view as it came
in, hovered and landed on a rock - very pale but with a very light buffy
upper breast, very white tail, bits of black flecking on the flanks,
white leggings. Try plate 448, p. 384 and plate 449, p. 385 in Raptors
of Western North America by Brian K. Wheeler. A ways east was a second
young bird perched on another rock on the edge of the cliffs.

Just before this, along bluffs closer to Wilson Creek there was a
juvenile Red-tailed Hawk with an adult circling overhead calling
incessantly.

Brian H. Bell
Woodinville WA
mailto:bellasoc at isomedia.com

----- Original Message -----
From: Jack Stephens <mailto:jstephens62 at comcast.net>
To: Tweeters <mailto:tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Monday, June 19, 2006 9:53 PM
Subject: [Tweeters] Ferruginous Hawks at Wilson Creek?

On the way back from the WOS conference, Marvin Cooper and I stopped by
Wilson Creek. We dipped on the Tricolored Blackbirds there; the
increased water in marsh seems to have reduced the number of all species
of blackbirds. We did check out the north side of the marsh, and found
two adult Red-tailed Hawks circling and calling out over a Barn Owl
hunkered down in the rocky outcrops. Further on, we saw two buteos
perched on the rocks near where Ferruginous Hawks have nested in the
past. They acted like juvenile birds, calling out, hopping around
and scratching but never took flight. It was my understanding that the
Ferruginous Hawks that were nesting there had abandoned the nest site,
and I assumed these were recently fledged Red-tails.
In review of my references back home, now I think they could have been
Ferruginous fledglings. There was a nest on the rock face by the perched
birds and white wash on the rock face. Does anyone know if this
Ferruginous nest site is still active? It also raises the question, once
a nest is abandoned, how long does it take for the nest to fall apart
and the whitewash to wash away? In other words, is finding whitewash on
a rock face a sign of recent bird activity, or can that persist for some
weeks or months afterwards?
Thanks in advance for any and all input.

Jack Stephens
jstephens62 at comcast.net <mailto:jstephens62 at comcast.net>
Edmonds, WA