Good Morning Tweeters,
I visited Wallace Swamp Creek Park early this morning and was rewarded with a sighting of not one, not two but THREE American Dippers.
This fall, my first sighting was November 18,2006. Then I spotted it again December 5th. I searched in vain later in December hoping that it would be here for the Christmas Bird Count. Wallace Swamp Creek Park (WSCP) is in the Edmonds count circle done by Pilchuck Audubon. Their count was on 12-30-06. No Dipper.
I was thrilled when I saw it on January 2nd, within the count week.
Since then I have seen a dipper about once a week.
My feeling has been that one dipper has staked out the lower part of Swamp Creek as his winter grounds. I have seen it as late as February 26th.
Today I heard it as I walked over the foot bridge. It was louder than usual so I thought it must be very close, I started looking at the rocks and got my binoculars on one bird when another popped into view, then as I followed them I spotted a third one. They frolicked, fed and bathed for several minutes as I watched. I have never seen them bathe before, one took a dip and then moved to an overhanging branch and preened before rejoining his buddies. I walked on down the trail and turned back. they were still there and as I watched they flew upstream a 100 feet or so where they continued foraging on the bottom of the streambed. They seemed very comfortable around me and my dog as we watched for what I think it must have been a half hour or more total.
WSCP is one mile north of Bothell way on 73rd Ave NE in Kenmore.
Linda Phillips
Kenmore 98028-2616
linda_phillips1252 at msn.com<mailto:linda_phillips1252 at msn.com>