Hello all,

Yesterday I saw a Pine Siskin at the feeder, the first I'd seen in my yard (I've only been here since Jan 1). Half an hour after I first saw it a Sharp-shinned Hawk swooped down and caught it off the feeder. A good look at the Sharp-shinned perched and could confirm species by the very squared off tail (and small size compared to the regular Coopers we have here). Despite the high predation rates for Pine Siskins (1 of 1!), today there are a half dozen or more in the yard, mixed in with the American Goldfinches.

I put a small (10' x 12') pond in the yard last month, and planted it entirely with native plants, to attract/encourage wildlife. A lot of birds are using it, though the only species that seems to be using the yard a lot more as a result are American Robins. A number of days a flock of 10-15 will show up and use the pond for bathing. I suspect that once the vegetation gets hold it'll probably attract a lot more. I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has put a pond in in the Puget Sound region, in terms of what species it might attract.

Also today a Hairy Woodpecker at the suet feeder, as well as the usual Downy Woodpecker.

Robin

Olympia, WA
rwbaird (at) cascadiaresearch.org