Tweeters,

I was outside planting a bunch of Mahonia and Spiraea that I'd gotten from
the Plant Materials Center up in Bow and heard a couple of different
sparrows singing, so I did a quick survey (relatively quick - took a while
to find the last one on the list) and found 9 sparrows, the most in one day
here: SPOTTED TOWHEE and DARK-EYED JUNCO; and SONG, FOX, CHIPPING,
WHITE-CROWNED, GOLDEN-CROWNED, SAVANNAH, and LINCOLN'S SPARROWS.



As I was planting, the local COOPER'S HAWK made a pass after some songbirds,
and flew about 3-feet over my head in doing so. Didn't catch anything then.
However, a couple of hours later, I heard a lot of wings beating to take
off, and spotted the Coop flashing down toward one of the blackberry snarls
about 50 feet away. I heard several MOURNING DOVES flailing to get away, but
one didn't make it before the Coop hit, splashing feathers all over. The
dove managed to struggle briefly to the south, but the Coop caught up with
it. When I passed around a Douglas-fir to where I thought they went, the
Coop was already pulling feathers out. When it saw me, it took off, heavily
loaded and flying just off the ground, down toward the wetland. Lots more
food in that dove than in the Pine Siskins yesterday. (I checked the
feathers this morning - yesterday, both birds the Coop took must have been
siskins.)



I went back to planting, and heard the first BAND-TAILED PIGEONS of the year
"singing." Turns out that four of them were at the top of the tallest
Doug-fir on the property. They didn't stick around, but I bet those four,
and probably 40 of their closest friends, will be back any time.



WILSON'S SNIPE were winnowing and calling out in the wetland. I thought I
heard a rail, but couldn't be certain because a C-17 from McChord AFB flew
over the same time as the supposed rail call.



Had about 50 TREE SWALLOWS flying around this morning well above their usual
"morning" height. And more than the usual 30 or so. Possibly an insect
hatching took place. This afternoon, the swallows mostly left, and a
BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE was investigating one of the few nest boxes that had
a round instead of a slotted entrance hole. That was the area that a swallow
dive-bombed me the other day, so I'm thinking the chickadee was a lucky dude
that the swallows were out of town for the afternoon.



May all your birds be identified,



Denis DeSilvis

Roy, WA

Mailto: avnacrs4birds at q.com