Subject: [Tweeters]: Common Yellowthroat and Purple Finch photos from Bob
Date: Jul 21 15:37:59 2008
From: Kevin Mack - kevin_mack at comcast.net


Hi All,



My wife and I visited Bob Heirman Wildlife Park in Snohomish this morning.
It was fairly quiet bird-wise, but there was a ton of activity in the vast
meadow of reed canary grass east of the big pond. Common Yellowthroats were
singing and foraging on all sides of us. We saw at least 6 adult males and
many females and fledglings. Tree, Violet-green and Barn Swallows were
cruising in the air overhead, snapping up the plentiful mosquitoes. They
were much appreciated by my wife and me as the mosquitoes were busy feeding
on us. In the large snag that is in the middle of the field, mourning doves
were perched and calling. Cedar Waxwings were also using the snag as a
perch from which to hawk insects. In a small stand of trees west of the
snag, a gorgeous Purple Finch was actively feeding. Garter Snakes were
everywhere enjoying the sun, and the sand/mud along the river had abundant
tracks of beaver, coyote, river otter, Virginia opossum, Great Blue Heron
and a variety of other birds. A lone juvenile Common Merganser was seen
floating downriver and Killdeer and Spotted Sandpipers patrolled the shore.



I took several photos of the yellowthroats and a few of the Purple Finch.
They can be found in my New Photos gallery here:
http://www.goatislandimages.com/photogalleries.htm.

The fairly short bird list from this morning is below.



Bob Heirman Wildlife Park 07/21/08



Great Blue Heron

Spotted Sandpiper

Killdeer

Common Merganser

Song Sparrow

Purple Finch

American Goldfinch

Common Yellowthroat

Cedar Waxwing

Tree Swallow

Violet-green Swallow

Barn Swallow

American Robin

Mourning Dove



Kevin Mack

Edmonds, WA

www.goatislandimages.com <http://www.goatislandimages.com/>