Hi Tweets,

Stan and I birded with 14 others at Lake Sammamish State Park in Issaquah, WA on 5/30/12. This bird walk is offered by Eastside Audubon each month, from 8 am to approximately noon. The weather was cloudy & cool (50-56 degrees), with low-wind (3-5 mph) conditions. Next walk: 6/26/12, Tuesday, 8 am to noon. No pre-registration--just show up at the first parking lot on the left, just inside the main park entrance (not the boating launch entrance). WA State Park Discover Pass ($30 annual) or $10 daily fee required.

Highlights include:
3 female COMMON MERGANSERS--2 were continuously flying over and through the trees and 1 was in the lake with 3 young
1 WESTERN GREBE--there was much valuable discussion as to whether this was a Western or a Clark's Grebe
5 SPOTTED SANDPIPERS--2 males were courting a female on the point at the mouth of Issaquah Creek, and another 2 were seen about a mile away, also along the Creek
1 BELTED KINGFISHER with food in its bill flew towards a possible nest site in the mud bank along Issaquah Creek--it saw us and veered sharply away, tried once more to approach the same area before, again, sharply turning and retreating. We moved quickly away and out of sight so as not to disturb the bird from possibly feeding young in the nest
2 RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKERS were going in and out of a nest hole in a snag along Issaquah Creek
1 OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER was perched and preening. This bird gave us another great opportunity to talk about its field marks, vocalization and behavior
3 WESTERN WOOD-PEWEES
3 WILLOW FLYCATCHERS
1 PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER
1 HUTTON'S VIREO (heard only)
1 possible RED-EYED VIREO--heard only, sounded just like a Red-eyed, but due to the time of year, the song could have been from a late, speeded up Cassin's Vireo
5 warblers: Orange-crowned, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow, Yellow-rumped, and Wilson's
3 BROWN CREEPERS--enjoyed watching an adult feeding two young
4 GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS--also enjoyed watching an adult feeding two young, perched & huddling together
4 BULLOCK'S ORIOLES--it appears the Park has at least two possible nesting areas (in the cottonwoods near the kyak shed and in the cottonwood forest along Issaquah Creek)
3 RED CROSSBILLS--heard then saw them land in the top of a Doug Fir loaded with cones
61 species for the day, 108 for the year

Sharon Cormier-Aagaard
Bellevue WA
scormieraa001 at hotmail.com