Starting last summer King county excavated about an acre of pasture that we use for our Highland cattle and created Middle Boise Creek Natural Area. It is now in the maintenance phase but I am told more logs will be added this summer. 4 thousand native plants have been planted there and there are 3 other plantings done over the years on the other side of Boise Creek from the new planting. I was just sent a time lapse video of the area that shows the area from the planting through the winter. It is fun to watch it freeze over and thaw out. It shows a lot of ducks showing up and at one point the heron walks through. We have placed a nesting box on one of the islands and are hopeful a wood duck family moves in.

https://vimeo.com/88112550

Friday Gina and I decided to drive around the east and south side of Enumclaw to count Eagles. We lost count at around 50 but some of the other birds had us excited. we came across a flock of Western Meadowlarks We listened to them for quite a while and tried to count them but best guess would be between 75 and hopeless to count. they were moving all around us. They were about half mile west of the high school. We had a male Kestrel holding a field mouse perched on a low wire that posed for us long enough for some great photos in the same area. When we got back to the house we saw a very white looking Hawk that I chased down a couple neighbors driveways until it stayed in one place long enough to get close. It is a very light Rough Legged hawk and was there yesterday and this morning on 268th south of town.

http://www.boisecreekfarm.com/birds.htm