My morning jaunt through Bellevue's Lake Hills Greenbelt (LHG) this
morning (12/18) was fraught with booby traps and pitfalls. First, the ice; a
sheet of ice covering the Phantom Lake observation deck and ramp leading up.
I couldn't get past the last four planks on the ramp without sliding back.
So determined to get there anyway, I was down on my hands and knees with
scope in tow, and crawled and clawed my way there. Worth the effort though
after I sat down on the also ice covered bench and set up my scope just as
two adult Peregrine Falcons came in from the east in tandem zig-zagging
lowish over the lake and calling, a first for me there. Thus began what
during this two-hour outing was to score a "sexfecta" of raptors, everything
really that one could ever really hope to expect here in one outing and also a
first ever for me in the Greenbelt. Hmmm, in print that doesn't sound
quite right :-)) So far, so good, except, when I was ready to pack up and
leave after my usual 5 minute quick lake scan, my butt and fleece pants were
glued (frozen) to the icy bench. I managed to get loose without ripping
anything, but it was close. Getting off the deck and down the ramp without
tumbling like I did a couple weeks ago when the ramp was just wet and
slippery slimy, the ice was a much more serious challenge I really didn't care to
risk, so just climbed down into the fortunately unflooded marsh edge and
walked out.

Everything then was going fine and routine until reaching the tract of
evergreen woods near Larsen Lake. There was a flock of juncos just off the
newly hard-packed 3/8-zero gravel-sand resurfaced path, but kind of in and
amongst some ground litter that just a few steps off the path would afford a
better view, me thinking maybe the White-throated Sparrow might be amongst
them. Maybe it was, maybe not, dunno, because unbeknownst to me, THAT well
vegetated spot just off the path that had always been safe and solid
before had literally turned into a man-swallowing bog of a mudhole, and I
instantly sank to my knees, both knees, and going down fast! There was no solid
ground in any direction, nothing to grab hold of, I lost both easy-on,
easy-off slip-on 'garden muck shoes' (perfect for these walks ...usually), and
very nearly my socks too in the 35-degree muck. Easy-OFF for sure today!
I had to dig down to rescue my shoes and toss them out on the trail then
extricate myself and struggle back to the path only six feet away. And all
that for just a bunch of stupid juncos! I won't be doing THAT again!!! I
finished the second half of the walk okay albeit in muddy socks and muck
filled muck shoes. I hadn't been in anything like THAT since my never to be
repeated again "Alakai Swamp Death March" (which it very nearly was) on
Hawaii's Kaua'i nearly 30 years ago ...BEFORE there was a boardwalk.

As for that "sexfecta of LHG raptors" -- Red-tailed, Cooper's,
Sharp-shinned, Merlin, Bald Eagle, and those two Peregrines. For the day, 2.1hours,
39 species (66 for the month).

Richard Rowlett
Bellevue (Eastgate), WA
Pterodroma AT aol.com