Salutations from Bainbridge Island,

I returned late last night from scouting the Badger Mt. loop in preparation
for the WOS convention. Spring is very late on the east side, but the
ample rain has created a magnificent flowering of the sage-steppe. it is
truly beautiful and lush!! Never having birded Badger Mt and environs, I was
thoroughly impressed with both the variety of habitats and the number of
birds in them.

A short digression...

I started out early Saturday (May 29) birding Marymoor Park near the rowing
facility. Numbers of both Black and Vaux's swifts were coursing over the
waterway nearly at eye level: great looks! Buoyed by my good fortune with
the swifts, I decided to try for the Am. Redstart that Gene Hunn and Brien
Mieilleur had found at the Stillwater Wildlife Area where a pair of
Redstarts nested last year. The bridge over the creek was flooded, but I managed
to carefully walk across it, the water coming within 2 inches of the tops
of my knee-high boots!! Slogging through 10-12 inches of water to the
slough where the Redstart was reported by Gene and Brien, took some time, but a
bit of phishing enticed the male Redstart to approach within a few feet and
sing vociferously. I left promptly and retraced my steps making it back
across the swollen creek without incident. There was at least one Willow
Flycatcher singing amongst the raindrops and gray skies as I left the area!!
For directions see Gene Hunn's post or contact me...

Back to the report on Badger Mt: Most of the usual suspects were found
without much difficulty. The highlights of my scouting efforts were a pair
of "singing" Least Flycatchers along Indian Camp Rd. Indian Camp Road goes
west from Badger Mt. Road (New DeLorme pg 50) about 7 miles east of Alstown.
The Least Flycatchers were in some tall Aspens about 1 mile from Badger
Mt. road where the first riparian growth begins along Rock Island Creek.
There were also Dusky and Gray Flycatchers about another mile along Indian
Camp Rd. where the next riparian growth begins.
Also of note were 12 Wilson's Phalaropes and 20 Red-necked Phalaropes in
the sewage ponds about a mile south of Waterville It certainly afforded a
chance for a great side-by-side comparison of the two species, in
full-alternate plumage as a bonus!!

Thanks to Dan Stephens and Michael Hobbs for the detailed route
description!!

George Gerdts
206-842-8138
_geopandion at aol.com_ (mailto:geopandion at aol.com)