Hi everyone,



I led a half-day field trip to the Three Forks Natural Area yesterday (Wednesday the 5th) for Seattle Audubon.? There were seven participants and a good time was had by all, despite (or perhaps partly because of) the cloudy and cool conditions - quite unusual in this hot summer.



We saw or heard 43 species in the natural area, plus?ended the trip by stopping?by the Tokul Creek bridge on Fish Hatchery Road to pick up the highly-reliable American Dipper at that location.? We missed a few very common species (no Red-winged Blackbird!) but had looks (not just listens) to the majority of species.? Highlights included:



INDIGO BUNTING (INBU)?- This now-famous bird showed itself on the blackberry thickets in the far left (NE) corner of the large field past the dog area, exactly where it has now been seen by many folks.? It was a lifer for at least one trip participant.? It continued to exhibit aggressive territory defense behavior, taking out after another bird (most likely a Lazuli Bunting [LABU]) and aggressively chasing it across almost half the field.? It would be very interesting to know if there is a female INBU around and there was a breeding, or if there may have been a hybridization breeding with a LABU.? To whit...



FEMALE BUNTING - Two highly experienced birders in our group got a brief look at a female bunting that looked tantalizingly like it could have been a female INBU.? Unfortunately it was not visible long enough for a positive ID, and so we will have to assume it was probably a LABU.?



LAZULI BUNTING - A bright male LABU was seen at the other end of the second field, by the rail trail, and the bird chased by the INBU was likely a separate male as well based on a fleeting look at it.?



PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER - While obviously a very common species, we had unusually good, minutes-long open views of a bird that hopped around at eye level in the woods edge near the INBU location.



BULLOCK'S ORIOLE [BUOR]?- There was a BUOR nest in a cottonwood just above the parking lot this year that is still visible.? I don't know whether it was a successful nesting, but at least one BUOR was heard and then briefly seen at the far corner of the dog area.?



MacGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER - One (and possibly two) were well-seen on the trail near the iron bridge.?



AMERICAN DIPPER - One of the resident Tokul Creek Dippers was very cooperative, found immediately on a midstream rock downstream from the bridge.?



Several trip participants were interested in a species list, so a complete list follows, in taxonomic order.?



Canada Goose

Wood Duck

Mallard

Hooded Merganser

Pied-billed Grebe

Great Blue Heron

Spotted Sandpiper - 3 seen working along the Snoqualmie River by the second field.

Vaux's Swift

Belted Kingfisher - at least two seen multiple times

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Western Wood-Pewee

Willow Flycatcher - everywhere, highly vocal

Pacific-slope Flycatcher - great, long open views

Red-eyed Vireo - excellent, close?eye-level views of two birds on the second trail bridge

Steller's Jay

American Crow

Common Raven

Tree Swallow

Violet-green Swallow - along with Northern Rough-winged, quite numerous

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Barn Swallow

Black-capped Chickadee

Brown Creeper

Bewick's Wren

Swainson's Thrush - many heard, one seen

American Robin

Cedar Waxwing

Yellow Warbler - heard only

MacGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER

Common Yellowthroat

Spotted Towhee - only one, heard only, amazingly

Savannah Sparrow

Song Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Black-headed Grosbeak

LAZULI BUNTING

INDIGO BUNTING

Bullock's Oriole

Purple Finch - heard only

American Goldfinch - large flock feeding on thistle



American Dipper - at Tokul Creek Bridge



John Tubbs

Snoqualmie, WA

johntubbs at comcast.net