Not sure why a message posted early yesterday evening was bounced for
"moderator review" regarding Sunday's Redpoll adventure at Lake Hills Greenbelt
(LHG) in SE Bellevue other than "exceeding the allowed character limit"
according to the reason indicated in the bounce return. Oh well, too bad.

So, in a nutshell (SHORT), most of the Redpoll action (~25) including one
bird believed to be a female HOARY) was in a new and different spot, a
clump of 10 trail-side heavily seed-catkin-laden white-barked birches (not the
alders!) SE of Larsen Lake where the lake loop trails fork west and north,
just north of the Lake Hills Blvd crosswalk with a few (3-5) still in the
tall birch NE of Larsen Lake as described Saturday with both the Common's
and Hoary viewed by several of us between about noon and 2pm. Just Redpolls,
NO siskins! Best views around noon with sun high and bright, and
perfectly situated for lighting off the redpolls in all their subtle glory, a bit
more subdued by 2pm with more clouds about. For 4+ hours, the Redpolls
scarcely moved at all except once when what before appeared to be at best 12-15
individuals, suddenly turned into ~25 when a soaring high-flyer
Sharp-shinned Hawk passed high overhead and they all erupted into flight out of the
birches, made a short sortie out then came right back within seconds. The
larder there is much too good to be thwarted by some little ?ol Sharpie.
The Redpolls are tiny, they?re quiet, and can easily be overlooked even when
you might be looking right at them and not know it.

Maybe the earlier longer message which describes the suspect Hoary in
detail and other notes will pass review later and be posted, maybe not. If
not, the quickest and easiest access point in mere seconds is from the parking
area BEHIND the "Boy's & Girl's Club" (former library), first building
east of the Lake Hills Blvd crosswalk between 148th & 156th Aves SE on the
north side of the street. From there, you can see the birches to the west,
maybe the redpolls too, as it's only 50-step walk west across the small
wooden foot bridge to the main trail complex. Hopefully it will be okay to
park there as the building seems to be vacant most of the time.

PLEASE, those of you I met yesterday, from the Phantom Lake observation
deck to the birches & sharing the redpolls, please contact me OFF LIST so I
may include your names in my notes. And if any of you managed to obtain any
good photos, especially of the suspect Hoary, I would appreciate seeing
those, especially since photo documentation is highly desirable in this case.
Thanks and good luck.

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