Hi everyone,



Sharon Cormier-Aagaard, Hugh Jennings and I led an Eastside Audubon monthly 'hot spots' trip to Three Forks Natural Area this morning.? It was pretty quiet from a birding viewpoint, without any rarities, but we saw some good birds and the weather improved as the morning progressed.?



Highlights included:



-? A?vocal Pied-billed Grebe announcing his territory to the world - the grebe vigorously chased a female Hooded Merganser away when she paddled close to where he was.?



-? At least three Red-breasted Sapsuckers



-? Multiple singing Brown Creepers



-? First of the year Violet-green Swallows



-? First of the year Rufous Hummingbird looking dazzling in the sunlight



-? A first of the year Audubon's Yellow-rumped Warbler



-? A female Hooded Merganser that had caught a frog, but was unable to figure out how to swallow it and eventually gave up



-? A beautiful male American Kestrel perched in the open for great scope views - this was a first on my list for this location.? (This bird, however,?gets the razzy award for the day, as it was chased out of the area by a hummingbird.)



-? Multiple Downy Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers and a Pileated Woodpecker for a four-woodpecker morning



In another couple of weeks, this area should be hopping with spring migrants.



On the mammal front, we saw a couple of long-tailed weasels and a chipmunk scampering across the trail - several in the group theorized that the weasels were attempting to catch the chipmunk.? Also, a beaver swam across the oxbow while I was waiting for the rest of the group to show up.?



John Tubbs

Snoqualmie, WA

johntubbs at comcast.net

www.tubbsphoto.com