Subject: [Tweeters] Bald Eagles - Snoqualmie Valley + Birding at Work
Date: Oct 16 14:52:31 2006
From: johntubbs at comcast.net - johntubbs at comcast.net


Hi all,

On Sunday afternoon, I saw two adult bald eagles on the Carnation Farm property on tall trees by the Snoqualmie River. These are the first birds of the season in this area for me.

The small company I work for will be moving to a new (to us) building on Willows Road in Redmond in the Sammamish River Valley. There are two buildings in our complex, with a small year-round, spring-fed stream flowing between the two buildings and very nice associated buffer areas along the stream. The buffer areas are probably less than two acres total, but are nicely vegetated with a good mix of types and sizes of trees and bushes. When I first saw the area, I thought it might turn out to be a good little migrant trap in addition to having a fair mix of resident birds. There is a small spring fed retention pond by the buffer area in front of our building and a larger seasonal retention pond on the far end. Adding to the buffer areas is a large, somewhat wet meadow area behind our building next to a PSE substation, and a trail that takes off into mature mixed conifer and deciduous forest on the ridge behind the complex. All these are within easy lunchtime walking dis!
tance,
and the buffer areas are easily seen from my future office.

So far, with little effort and mostly in midday while checking on the building preparations for moving, I've ID'd 36 species between the multiple areas - mostly just the buffer areas. The potential of this little habitat literally right outside my window is actually making me look forward to going to work! Some highlights of the observations so far include: PILEATED WOODPECKER; a GREEN HERON in the smallest pond not 30 feet from parked cars; a GADWALL pair and HOODED MERGANSER in the small pond, WILSON'S SNIPE on the edges of the large pond; and RED-TAILED HAWK, COOPER'S HAWK and AMERICAN KESTREL on the same day - all hunting over the substation meadow.

I guess the moral of the story is don't overlook your work location!

John Tubbs
Snoqualmie, WA
johntubbs at comcast.net
www.tubbsphoto.com