Subject: [Tweeters] Stillwater/Bluebird Trail Report
Date: May 18 13:36:09 2006
From: johntubbs at comcast.net - johntubbs at comcast.net


I had a short (hour and a half) available late afternoon/early evening yesterday and opted to check out the Stillwater area and try once again to find the bluebirds. The trip got off to an auspicious start, with 8 species seen before even crossing the Snoqualmie Valley Trail (I parked at the unofficial road pulloff area leading straight to the jeep track). Naturally my camera gear was neatly packed in the backpack for easy carrying to the bluebird snags, so didn't get any photos. Highlights of the first eight sighted were two Red-Breasted Sapsuckers, one taking a dust bath in the trail track, and a pair of Cedar Waxwings that lit on a branch nearby. Turns out the sapsuckers are nesting in a cavity-filled snag just 10 yards to the left (facing west looking down the jeep track) before you even walk past the gate.

Things slowed down markedly after that, with only 5 more species seen, counting the bank swallows at the colony by the river. The river, by the way, is running surprisingly high and off-color - a testament to how much snowpack remains to be melted in the mountains.

Once again, the bluebirds proved too elusive for me (0 for 2 so far), though I've studied every snag in the area carefully on both visits. A great trip, nonetheless!

John Tubbs
johntubbs at comcast.net