Hi Tweeters,
As part of the Pilchuck Audubon CBC I birded Wallace Swamp Creek Park today. I had good weather and cooperative birds. This is the 3rd year I have counted WSCP In '05 I had 29 species, 288 birds, '06 22 species,157 birds and this year 37 species and 401 birds.
One tree was very frustrating to me, it was in a private yard and from the street I could see that it was FULL of bushtits, juncos, kinglets and chickadees but I could only count 2-3 of each because I couldn't get close enough to get good looks. My best bird was a Merlin who flew in and perched on the dead top of a fir tree. thankfully it stayed there for a long time so I could move closer and get a positive ID. While it preened a flock of Pine siskins flew by, the whole flock swarmed around the tree top where the Merlin was perched and then flew on. the Merlin appeared to not even notice them. ( a few weeks ago I saw a similar situation with a red-tailed hawk and siskins that time the siskins flew by saw the hawk and did an about face). It was a good day for woodpeckers. I counted all 5 species. I had a Pileated and a Hairy both working on the same snag at the same time. I ended up with 3 sapsuckers, 3 Hairy, 5 flickers, 2 pileated and my last bird of the day was a Downy. A female Belted Kingfisher was working hard to find breakfast, she worked a short area of the creek for at least a half hour but I never saw her come up with a meal. For the first time saw more than one Wilson's Snipe in the park, Today there were two. Thursday I saw my first Varied Thrush of the season ( they were almost 3 months late) Today I was thrilled to have good looks at 7 of those beautiful birds.
Linda Phillips
linda_phillips1252 at msn.com<mailto:linda_phillips1252 at msn.com>
Kenmore 98028-2616