Subject: [Tweeters] American Redstart still at Stillwater, King County
Date: Jul 10 14:21:54 2009
From: Hans-Joachim Feddern - thefedderns at gmail.com


Dear Gene, Nancy and Tweeters!

On the morning of June 29th, I unsuccessfully tried to locate the Three
Forks Indigo Bunting and Least Flycatcher. I continued up to Stillwater WMA
to try for the AMERICAN REDSTART. Since it was almost noon by now, it turned
into a long hot trek across the field and onward. If I understand you
correctly, the whole field has now been plowed? I managed to pick up the
trail and the opposite side heading southwest even though there was a plowed
swath next to it. I ended up at a big bend of the Snoqualmie River, missing
the path to the foot bridge, however I manged to find it when backtracking.
There is a newly planted tree - willow I believe - on the right hand side of
the trail when coming from the parking area. It has a branch bending to the
left, pointing at the trail down to the bridge. Coming up the embankment
from the creek through the tunnel like brush, I did come out at the
clearing. I did locate an orange ribbon on the right. but no blue one as
somebody had described. I stumbled through the high grass like a bull elk
during the rutting season, but due to my poor hearing. I never did find the
redstarts. The high grass just gave me visions of becoming lunch for half a
zillion ticks, however my insect repellent did warn them away from my "Jack"
infected blood!

I do not remember if it was you, but my hat is off to the person(s) who
located the Redstarts at this location in the first place! What a beautiful
wild and birdy place! The same goes for Three Forks! On the way across the
field ,there were many BARN SWALLOWS criss-crossing the trail and both ways
a SAVANNAH SPARROW flew up. A GREAT BLUE HERON flew over, probably with
;lunch for the kiddies and a RED-TAILED HAWK was circling over the trees by
the river. In the brush at the treeline , I had several COMMON YELLOWTHROATS
and CEDAR WAXWINGS, also a singing SONG SPARROW and beautiful LAZULI
BUNTING. The river bank has nesting BANK SWALLOWS and some NORTHERN
ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS. Across the river a flying SPOTTED SANDPIPER landed
with its mate and a BALD EAGLE flew downriver.
The clearing itself yielded AMERICAN ROBIN, SWAINSON'S THRUSH, AMERICAN
GOLDFINCH and YELLOW WARBLER. A pair of BULLOCK'S ORIOLES' was back over
the tail by the parking lot. Even though I triple "dipped", I had a
wonderful day birding these great locations!

Good Birding!

Hans Feddern
Twin Lakes - Federal Way


On Thu, Jul 9, 2009 at 8:46 PM, Eugene and Nancy Hunn <enhunn323 at comcast.net
> wrote:

> I checked on our redstart pair at Stillwater this afternoon and the male
> was singing and patrolling the vicinity of the nest, but I couldn?t spot the
> nest. Either it?s gone or just very well hidden. I hope the female was
> sitting on egg. Time will tell.
>
>
>
> The powers that be have plowed right across the track leading to the nest
> site, so where the existing track bends left (south) keep on straight across
> the plowed field to the island of brush and trees and pick up the trail
> beyond, continue straight ahead to the riparian forest margin where you?ll
> find the trail across the metal bridge (without railing), force your way 100
> yards through the tall grass to the clearing and the opening at the slough.
>
>
>
> Gene.
>
>
>
> PS: Also Red-eyed Vireos there.
>
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> Tweeters at u.washington.edu
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>
>
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