HI All,

I've managed to fit in some birding each day of the four day weekend so far, with some good birds found - but the really good birds missed so far. The weekend got off to a good start when I looked outside after getting up Thursday morning and saw the pair of PEREGRINE FALCONS that periodically visit a snag tree near our backyard. This time, they were in beautiful warm (color-wise, not temperature, it was freezing!) morning light and stayed put long enough for capturing some images. I almost always see two birds together, and from the comparative sizes of the birds in the following image, it would certainly seem that this is a mated, resident pair. They're only in this snag every month or so, but frequently enough that I always check it out when I'm home. They can be seen at http://www.tubbsphoto.com/-/tubbsphoto/detail.asp?photoID=5194558&cat=38975. That morning I also drove down to the Kent Ponds but dipped on the Red-shouldered Hawk and American Tree Sparrow.

On Friday, my wife and I birded our way down to the Kent Ponds and back, missing the rarities again, but seeing some nice birds. There was a large group of American Wigeon that included two beautiful EURASIAN WIGEON males feeding at the golf course pond along the river across from the Old Fishing Hole park - at Frager Road and Meeker Street. Further down Frager Road from there we saw some good birds, including a cooperative WESTERN SCRUB-JAY for which we got some images - one is at http://www.tubbsphoto.com/-/tubbsphoto/detail.asp?photoID=5194555&cat=38986. On the way back home we went through the Snoqualmie Valley and had a male AMERICAN KESTREL (AMKE) at the intersection of Highway 203 and Carnation Farm Road, on the east side of Hwy. 203, directly across from the farm where the Rusty Blackbird was two years ago. The tree that the AMKE was in held a Snowy Owl two winters ago as well - not sure why a nondescript tree right by a major highway is such a prime spot...smile!
. The
AMKE was in good late afternoon light and we got some reasonable images, including this one at http://www.tubbsphoto.com/-/tubbsphoto/detail.asp?photoID=5194557&cat=38975. Earlier in the day we stopped by the Cedar River mouth and Coulon Park. As we were getting out of the car at Coulon, a small flock of GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE landed right by shore about 30 yards away from us, providing good image opportunities as well http://www.tubbsphoto.com/-/tubbsphoto/detail.asp?photoID=5194556&cat=38974.

This morning, we birded through the Snoqualmie Valley to Woodinville and back, and missed on the Swamp Sparrows again (I'm 0 for 2 on that so far). We had a sad find just south of Carnation Marsh, as we came across a freshly road-killed NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL. Near Jubilee Farm on West Snoqualmie River Road fairly early in the morning, the roadside blackberry patches were alive with GOLDEN-CROWNED, WHITE-CROWNED and SONG SPARROWS (one possible LINCOLN'S), and a HUGE flock of Red-winged Blackbirds feeding on the road shoulder and in fields right by the road. This wouldn't have been of much note except there were at least three WESTERN MEADOWLARKS feeding with the blackbirds, and we got good looks at them feeding and in flight. RED-TAILED HAWKS were seemingly everywhere - we should have kept count, but had to be near twenty hawks during the course of the trip. There were also 8 to 10 BALD EAGLES, all but one in adult plumage. We may have counted two of the birds twice, th!
us the
range of numbers for them. On the way back, just south of Carnation Marsh to the west of the road, we spotted a raptor we first assumed was a lighter-underparts RTHA, but the scope showed it to be a beautiful PEREGRINE FALCON with a very distended crop. The AMERICAN KESTREL was in the same tree -in fact, on the exact branch - as we saw it yesterday, both coming and going on today's trip.

We had a funny incident this morning involving the eagles and hawks. Near Fall City on 284th, I saw two raptors sitting in the same large cottonwood, pulled over, rolled down the windows and put the binocs on them. My wife Trisha was (I thought) doing the same thing. I said, "Yep, they're just two more Red-Tailed's." She proclaimed, in disbelief, "What on earth are you talking about, they're eagles!!" We each thought the other was having a major brain freeze until we realized she was looking at two adult Bald Eagles in flight that she had seen, thinking I was stopping because of them. I was looking at the two tree-bound hawks, thinking she was as well. Four raptors in a one-minute stop, not bad!

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