Hi Everyone,

Finally, my sparrow karma took a long-overdue uptick today when I left work a bit early to swing by the Harris's Sparrow spot in the Snoqualmie Valley. After numerous tries, I finally found it, and got one fairly decent image of the bird, which is at http://www.tubbsphoto.com/-/tubbsphoto/detail.asp?photoID=5689914&cat=38992.

For those who haven't seen it yet and have been following the posts, the landscape has changed a bit. I found it today on the "Lawnmower Driveway" that people have described previously. Except - the lawnmowers are now gone. Also gone are the mudpuddles on said driveway that were the site of a number of successful sightings of this bird. It seems the residents at the end of the driveway had it re-graveled today with a thick layer of large crushed rock. So - no more puddles for bathing sparrows. That's the bad news. The good news is that the gravel truck or dozer that smoothed it out disrupted some of the blackberry brambles lining the driveway and must have unearthed a number of insects or other food source in the disturbed ground because that's where I found the flock of White-crowned Sparrows (I saw one LINCOLN'S SPARROW and one Song Sparrow, but no Golden-crowned Sparrows in the group) in which the HARRIS'S SPARROW was found.

Naturally, when I finally saw it - out in the open on the new gravel even! - I was really pleased. Until I realized I had left the camera back in the car and had to turn around and go back for it. Maybe bad camera karma increases good sparrow karma...? (The sparrows were about halfway down the driveway.) Fortunately it was still there and I fired off about five shots in fairly low light, hoping my handholding was adequate for a good image. Two of the people who live at the end of the driveway then walked out to inspect the driveway work and spooked the flock. The two guys were friendly, although they seemed a bit bemused by the notoriety their homestead has attained lately.

So...a life bird and a decent image made for a great afternoon!

Following are links to two more recent images from the area around my small business park in Redmond. The first one is one of the resident Red-tailed Hawks who nested in the area last year and who are showing the signs of preparing for nesting again this year. This image is at http://www.tubbsphoto.com/-/tubbsphoto/detail.asp?photoID=5689900&cat=38975. Additionally, the Song Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbirds, Anna's Hummingbirds and Bewick's Wrens are staking out territories and singing their hearts out. Following is a link to a Bewick's Wren which I found exercising his syrinx earlier in the week - http://www.tubbsphoto.com/-/tubbsphoto/detail.asp?photoID=5689913&cat=38988.

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