Hi Tweets:
Many thanks to Dennis P for his Osprey video. How did they get the underwater shots?
The video of the Osprey catching a flounder reminded me of my latest birding around here. I've been observing local OSPREY nests. One of the few nests w/ unfledged juveniles is a nest in Tukwila near the Boeing Employees Credit Union on Gateway Drive off of Interurban Ave. The nest has had only one juv. and it hasn't fledged yet. It flaps its wings and hops about 3 ft. high. It could fledge at any moment. Yesterday, Sunday, the female was at the nest on a post being very vocal. The juv was standing in the nest and making a few quiet sounds. The nest is on a platform across the Green River, and is only about 200 ft. away from the Green River Trail viewing stations. It's a great view. Finally the male took the hint and flew away for some food. It was not gone long, and came back w/ a flounder! and took it to the nest. Whoa, where did he get that fish? Does the river have flounder that come up from Elliott Bay? Did he fly way over to Puget Sound to get it?
Another nest w/ unfledged juveniles can be seen on a tall cell tower at the SW corner of the jct of I-405 & I-167 in Renton. It is very-visible from 405. There are 3 young juveniles on that nest, w/ mom begging for food, and dad flying overhead on occasion. A good viewing spot is accessed from Grady Way, turn south on Oaksdale, and then take an immed. left after the underpass onto S 16th St. You are now just south of I-405, and paralleling it. Travel east on 16th to Raymond Ave. Good viewing from there (I use a scope at that spot) by the Shuttle Express bldg w/ the limousines.
After all the Osprey viewing lately, I think I am able to tell the females at the nest w/ their darker breasts from the males perched nearby w/ their whiter breasts and fewer breast markings. The juveniles sometimes show a wide white terminal band on the tail which I try to see when they fly in order to tell them apart from the adults. The males and females don't seem much different in size. The males might be just a bit smaller than the females. When the juvs perch they have white feather edges, and golden napes. When the female at one nest flies, she brings back more sticks. When the male flies he brings back fish. (Please tell me if I'm wrong about these Osprey observations.)
People tell me that the juveniles will be fledged out of the nest in August, but the adults will continue to bring fish to the nest. The young then fly back to the nest to eat.

Down in Auburn I stopped at the Auburn Environmental Park on Western Ave that goes north from Main St, looking for a cell tower w/ Ospreys. I didn't find those but while standing on the north end of Western Ave, l had a quick view and then heard COOPER'S HAWK fledglings flying about and entering the area where the dense trees are around the Clay St Marsh. That's to the north of the dead end of Western Ave, but you can't see the water of the marsh. The juvenile Coops were calling their very-loud see-ooo or see-eee going down in pitch. They were able to move about over in the trees, but I could only hear, not see them. Mark Van Osdol lives at the last house on the street. He is knowledgeable, is in Ducks Unltd, and knows the birds. He says the Coops nested in the tall trees to the east of the marsh, and right by his yard.
I've was told by someone that around here, "Young Cooper's Hawks fly by the 4th of July". But back in 2002, I watched a just-fledged Cooper's Hawk on Des Moines Creek Trail. It was July 15th.
I'd like to thank Barb Diehl for her Tweeters msg yesterday about a Cooper's Hawk fledgling in Seattle. Thanks Barb.

I drove to Boeing Ponds in Kent after observing 8 Osprey nests from Tukwila to Auburn. Boeing Ponds never disappoints even during this local "doldrums" time of year. I arrived at 11:45am. The female PEREGRINE FALCON that we saw there most of the year is back. She had been gone for a few months. She was perched in a door/window that is about halfway up the wall of the left-most tall building in back of the ponds. Ralph, a local raptor photog said she had returned in the middle of July. A juv Osprey was at the pond and was quite active trying to perch gracefully in several spots. An adult Osprey flew over later soaring and hovering.
There are quite a few Pied-billed Grebes w/ juveniles going pee, pee, pee. And there are a lot of breeding AMERICAN COOTS w/ light colored juveniles. One of these had a downy white head. But the cutest thing was something I've never seen before. It was a Coot w/ two tiny Coot chicks. They were smaller than just-hatched chickens and the adult fed one of them. They could swim quite fast, and usually hid in the dry bushes in the middle of the pond. The chicks had bright orange-red heads, and little tiny dark-gray bodies w/ a bit of white on the side. The only field guide I have that showed a picture of this is the Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of N America. His picture was much more dull that the neon orange-red of these chicks' heads at Boeing Ponds. The adult Coot would occasionally chase some of the other birds, and there would be splashing back in the bushes.
Another photographer there told me he often sees Green Herons at Boeing Ponds. But they are very stealthy, and he only sees one when he surprises it and it flies. I haven't seen one there this year.
It was a nice day of local birding and not doldrummy at all.
Yours, Carol Schulz
Des Moines
carol.schulz50 at gmail