Tweets,

An intrepid group of 6 braved snow, hail, sleet and rain, with cameos of
the sun, on a Seattle Audubon trip to Rattlesnake Ridge and the
Carnation area today. Despite the moody weather, some great birds were seen.

The trip started out with blue skies, but as we climbed up to the ridge
from Snoqualmie Point, the snow began to get heavier. By the time we
passed 1600 feet, it felt like near-blizzard conditions. Of course, the
birds were mostly hunkered down, but we did hear several Varied Thrush
then a brave Orange-crowned Warbler as we entered the clear-cut. The
group was excited about the prospect of a Sooty Grouse, so we continued
on and finally heard the bird hooting. Perseverance prevailed, and he
was finally spotted about 80 feet up one of the sparse Douglas Firs. We
then made a hasty retreat to more 'balmy' weather.

We made a quick foray into the Tokul Creek area and were rewarded with a
flock of Evening Grosbeaks feeding at eye level. A few Tree and Northern
Rough-winged were mixed in with the dozens of Violet-green Swallows in
the swamp. A Virginia Rail called as soon as we stopped the car, then we
saw a Rufous Hummingbird perched on a wire. We also flushed a small
flock of Mourning Doves off the road.

Most of the day was spent at Tolt-Macdonald Park in Carnation. On the
way, we saw a single flock of 4 geese flying in: 3 Canadas and a single,
tiny Cackling. At the park, we were given great views of a Hairy and two
Pileated Woodpeckers. Meadowlark, Killdeer and Purple Finch were calling
from the open areas. Several Bald Eagles and Red-tailed Hawks flew
overhead, plus solitary Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks flew through
our woods, and an Osprey flew up the river. We stopped for lunch at the
shelter, luckily, as a hail-storm ensued for several minutes. Nearby,
another Rufous Hummingbird posed. Several more Varied Thrush gave us
opportunities to contrast their flight patterns with those of American
Robins. Later, some of us were treated to the booming of a Ruffed Grouse.

The group split up and two of us continued on to Sikes Lake where a few
Green-winged Teal and Lesser Scaup remained. A Hooded Merganser pair was
also there, and we also had FOY Common Yellowthroat.

A challenging day with nice rewards and a good group.

Scott Ramos
Seattle