Tweeters,

I led the accessible portion of Seattle Audubon's neighborhood bird walk
at Carkeek Park this morning. cold temperatures were accompanied by a
high overcast, low wind, and virtually no rain. The trip met at the
bluff overlooking the sound. My group traversed the half mile boardwalk
and dirt trails in the wetlands. We had a good trip during the
hour-and-a-half that we walked the trail, and enjoyed great views of a
Varied Thrush. My list follows:

CARKEEK PARK NEIGHBORHOOD BIRD WALK: Accessible Birding Portion

March 18, 2006

From the parking area on the bluff:
BRANT (seen by others in my group)
American Wigeon
Surf Scoter
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Barrows Goldeneye
Red breasted Merganser
Horned Grebe
Rock Pigeon

In the wetlands:
Mallard
Mew Gull
Anna?s Hummingbird
Steller?s Jay-heard only
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Bewick?s Wren-heard only
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
American Robin
VARIED THRUSH
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
American Goldfinch

For those interested in birding Carkeek, I would recommend the South
bluff above the creek. The the trail wanders through a variety of
well-defined habitats, including the Bigleaf Maple on a bluff over the
train tracks, open mixed forest, a well used snag area, and dense
conifer forest. The birds are well correlated to the small sections of
their appropriate habitat. Don't go on a really windy day; they've had
some pretty big trees come down at the park and small branches are still
making their way to the forest floor.

Good birding,
Patricia