To find this location, drive out on Ediz Hook until you see the low restroom building on north side of road just before you reach the gate to the U.S. Coast Guard station. It's about 200 ft west of the restroom, near a large pile of drift logs, and marked by a small pedestal of three rocks piled up by someone. The exact spot is marked also by a 12-inch green plastic dish placed atop the rocks by the man who spreads out the birdseed; his old red pickup truck may also be parked there, if the added bird activity isn't obvious. Look for a lot of milo seed cast over the rocks and adjoining depressions. In winter, there's usually a contingent of English sparrows obvious as well as sanderlings and black turnstones frequently. You can usually park within 15 ft or so of the spot and watch the birds from your vehicle. As Dennis says below, it's the other kinds of sparrows and shorebirds, however, that may be especially important to look for with all this concentrated feeding activity, etc. Bruce
----- Original Message -----
From: Dennis Paulson
To: Bruce Moorhead
Cc: Tweeters
Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 6:10 PM
Subject: [Tweeters] Re: The Ediz Hook bird feeder


Bruce and tweeters,


This is the site I have described in a couple of posts. During the fall there were lots of Golden-crowned and Savannah Sparrows feeding there. It's a great place to get photos, as you can sit in your car just a dozen or two feet away from the activity. Anyone out on Ediz Hook should check this spot to see what else turns up there, as all the action probably attracts all the seed-eating birds in the immediate area. What other shorebirds might be enticed to feed on this rich resource? Shorebirds often eat fruits and seeds left over from the summer before when they arrive on their arctic and subarctic breeding grounds before any insects or spiders have appeared. Sanderlings, for example, are known to eat grass seeds on the breeding grounds.


Funny how phrases such as "bird feeder" and "golf club" can have two distinctly different meanings....


Dennis Paulson
1724 NE 98 St.
Seattle, WA 98115


On Mar 14, 2006, at 5:37 PM, Bruce Moorhead wrote:


This morning from 0920-1030 hrs along the outer part of Ediz Hook, near the public restroom, I parked my vehicle and closely watched at 20 ft the following birds using an informal "bird feeder" that has been maintained for a year or more at one location by an elderly, local man (in an old, red pickup) atop the low boulder-revetments that line (and secure) the northern, seaward part of the spit (and road). Each day or two he apparently puts out more milo seed and water for the birds; however, the main beneficiaries at this somewhat barren location are a semi-resident group of some 30 House Sparrows. I first noted the site a year or more ago and alerted others when sanderlings were noted eating the seed along with the sparrows.