Scott Ramos and I co-led a Seattle Audubon field-trip yesterday (07/31/11) to Rattlesnake Ridge, with side trips to Traditions Plateau and Three Forks off-leash park, all in the Snoqualmie area. We had a great group of ten, ranging from experienced birders to enthusiastic new birders, as well as a bonus of excellent and abundant botany knowledge. Thanks to everyone for contributing towards a delightful day.
Our early start found the birds still hunkered down in the morning mist at Tradition Plateau, although we had some great close-up views of Wilson's Warbler and Cedar Waxwing, as well as Pileated Woodpecker. We then headed to Rattlesnake Ridge, hiking about five miles round-trip, again much of it in a light mist with a temp around 67 degrees. Highlights included a female MacGillivray's Warbler escorting a juvenile, with multiple opportunities to study Willow Flycatchers, Olive-sided Flycatchers, Western Wood-pewee's and Hutton's Vireo's as well as a roost of Band-tailed Pigeon's exceeding over 25 in one tree.
As the cloud's parted, we decided to have one last stop at the Three Forks off-least park in Snoqualmie. When one of the first birds we saw was a Peregrine Falcon and the sun was finally overpowering the day-long clouds, it was already a worthwhile stop. The highlight of the day was the opportunity to see a male Lazuli Bunting, but perhaps even more impressive was the female Lazuli steadfastly holding onto a caterpillar anxiously waiting to feed the juveniles just out of our sight. We soaked in their beauty as long as we could, and then let them have their privacy to feed their awaiting fledglings.

Shelley Horn

Birds for the day included:

Canada Goose
Mallard
Hooded Merganser
Peregrine Falcon
Red-tailed Hawk
Turkey Vulture
Band-tailed Pigeon
Rufous Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Western Wood-Pewee
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Hutton's Vireo
Stellar's Jay
Violet-green Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Bewick's Wren
Pacific Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Swainson's Thrush
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
Orange-crowned Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Black-throated Gray Warbler
MacGillivray's Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Western Tanager
Lazuli Bunting
Black-headed Grosbeak
Spotted Towhee
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Brown-headed Cowbird
Red Crossbill
House Finch
Purple Finch
American Goldfinch
Pine Siskin