The red-shouldered hawk was perched in easy view shortly after noon at the Green River Natural Resources Area (the old Kent sewage ponds). I parked at the grassy knoll off 64th Avenue S (south of S 212th); looking north from the bench the hawk was directly over the green metal shed, but about 100 yards away. I was able to walk north along 64th, which gave much closer views although through some tree branches. The hawk was visible from the gated access entrance immediately south of the animal shelter. It was fairly actively looking around, but didn't fly during the time I saw it.

Out of curiosity, how is it that that location seems to attract red-shouldered hawks? That precise location has had birds overwinter a couple times in the last decade, but I don't recall any other location in all of King County where that has happened. This bird is an immature, so unless one of his parents dumped him off I wonder how it knew to end up there?

Also of interest was one swan flying south, and an accipiter that was flying far away to the west as I arrived. On S 204th a female Harrier scared up a flock of about 25 Killdeer, although it was pretty hard to see even one once they settled back down.



Eric Stahlfeld
Burien, WA 98166