Yesterday afternoon I spent two hours birding the San Juan County Land
Bank Lime Kiln Preserve above Lime Kiln Lighthouse on the west side of
San Juan Island, as well as the ponds just across the road from there.
With the lush forests all filled in with green, it proved easier to
find birds by ear than by sight, but luckily there was a lot of
singing going on.

Olive-sided and Pacific-slope flycatchers could be heard everywhere,
but proved very difficult to locate. Orange-crowned warblers were also
abundant. Another highlight included a chipping sparrow at the exact
same bend in the trail where I saw the species in June of 2007 - the
only other time I've seen them here on the island. I also located a
house wren nest, with parents actively going to and fro to feed the
calling young. A turkey vulture kept an eye on my progress by
occasionally soaring overhead.

Northern flickers, belted kingfishers, and red-winged blackbirds could
be seen and heard calling near the pond. Violet-green swallows cruised
overhead, and a mother wood duck tried unsuccessfully to keep her
brood of eight ducklings corralled.

In total, I saw 22 species - not too bad for an afternoon hike through
the woods. I posted the complete list on birdnotes.net.

Monika Wieland
Friday Harbor, WA
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Check out my blog! http://orcawatcher.blogspot.com