Hi Tweets,

Stan and I were joined by 8 other birders this morning at our monthly bird walk for Eastside and Seattle Audubon at Lake Sammamish State Park. It was PURE spring all around....blue, cloudless skies, cool to warming temps as the morning went on, bird song throughout the Park, male birds chasing females, and best of best, we were just thrilled to see our first-of-the-year Osprey overhead! Then, later on, we spotted a male Rufous Hummingbird perching and displaying over a patch of blackberry bushes (with flowering red currant bushes nearby)! For many of us, this was another first-of-the-year bird. What a great morning to be out birding!

Other birds of note:
No Cacklers were seen, whereas last month they were still here in the 100s)
There were 8 duck species, but in very small numbers, with the majority of them as one bird or two birds in pairs
A couple of female Greater Scaup were feeding near a male Barrow's Goldeneye at the lake's edge
78 Western Grebe were seen close together out on the lake (yep, Peter counted them!)
1 Red-tailed Hawk was on the nest, with the likely mate flying nearby
5 Dunlin were feeding on the sand spit/point
2 Band-tailed Pigeons were seen
2 Red-breasted Sapsuckers were seen
2 Pileated Woodpeckers--one was on a tree trunk about 30 feet in front of us, drumming and calling very loudly
3 Tree Swallows -- we were surprised to see so few
1 Red-breasted Nuthatch -- this is the first I, Stan and Ken have heard in the Park, so it was an exciting moment for us

For the day, 51 species. For the year, 74 species.

Sharon Aagaard
Bellevue, WA
scormieraa001 at hotmail.com