Hi Tweets:
I stopped by Boeing Ponds in north Kent this afternoon, and there were several very tiny baby American Coots there w/ attentive adults. These were the size of just-hatched chicks. They had dark bodies with bright red-orange fluffy heads w/ red bills. There were at least 3 coot families, consisting of either one or two chicks w/ one or two parents. It was drizzly, and I was quiet as I walked. These birds were near the edges of the ponds under or near vegetation. They can be shy.
There were also young Pied-billed Grebes there w/ stripey heads. These were not as small as the coots, and were doing their peeping begging calls as they swam near the adults.
Yours, Carol Schulz
Des Moines