Subject: [Tweeters] Snoqualmie Valley birding this AM
Date: Jun 1 16:03:52 2008
From: Evan Houston - evanghouston at yahoo.com


Hi Tweeters,
I spent an enjoyable morning and early afternoon out in the Snoqualmie Valley this morning, spending a few hours each at Moss Lake, the Stillwater Natural Area, and then a quick stop at Tolt-MacDonald Park. My hands were feeling a bit cold after stepping out of the car, so I put on my gloves. Then I remembered it's June!
I found a total of 68 species on my outing this morning, and I have listed some of the highlights below:

Mourning Dove - several singing at Moss Lake
Belted Kingfisher - one perched out by the Bank Swallow colony out at Stillwater was holding a fish for so long, I wondered why she wasn't eating it, until I saw her fly into her nest hold amongst the swallows
Red-breasted Sapsucker - numerous sightings at both Moss Lake and Stillwater, including 2 separate nests at Stillwater
Cedar Waxwing - these beauties are all over the place, and a pair at Moss Lake let me watch their endearing courtship ritual of passing a berry back and forth. I wonder if the female is always the one who ends up with the berry!
6 swallow species at Stillwater, including Bank and Rough-winged nesting side-by-side at Stillwater
7 warbler species, including several MacGillivray's Warblers around the Moss Lake parking lot, and the Yellow-breasted Chat singing at Stillwater
Lazuli Bunting - a pair posed for me at Stillwater on the trail out to the Bank Swallow colony
Bullock's Oriole - first year male singing at the Stillwater parking lot, probably the same bird that was singing at this location last week.

Good birding,
Evan