Dear all,
I counted 36 Pine Siskin at my feeders last February. They started to
arrive at then end of January. I was busy cleaning feeders every two days,
for over a month, trying to prevent disease, and eventually was glad to
ween them off the seed as it was so much work. I felt like I was
continually cleaning up for someone else's dirty feeders as the odd sick
bird kept turning up. I got one to Featherhaven, and he survived against
the odds, (got released in Graham), sadly buried two, and the flock moved
on in March in small numbers. (We had some hawks here too - one PISI was
injured by 'something' but we couldn't save him/her.) The flock diminished
down to 10-15, then lower through March and April, to now where I have at
least two, maybe two pairs, as some of them have hung around, and I hear
them from high in the Firs, I cannot count or see them except when they fly
between trees.

Anywhere East of the freeway is considered Black Bear Country, so we are
not supposed to feed birds here between March and November but honestly,
after last winter's experience, I don't think I will be feeding again.
The last time I saw PISI's was about 7 days ago, and it was a surprise to
me. They were on the deck looking for a handout - two - presumably a mating
pair. But the last time I heard them was this morning. They are like my
local Hummingbirds (both Annas and Rufous) - very communicative.

Generally, I have a lot of Am Robins, Towhees, have two pairs of nesting
Juncos (one lost all four hatchlings within a week), chickadees etc.

I saw my first (Lifer) Pacific Slope Flycatcher in Lake Kathleen woods a
few weeks ago, as well as a Female Wood Duck and about six ducklings though
I could not count them as they swam away so fast.

The salmon berries are just about ripening.

*Nadine Drisseq*
*Biologist, **Bear Smart WA*

*PO Box 152*
*Issaquah, WA. 98027*

Tel: (530) 628-7787 (call / text)
bearsmartwa at gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/BearSmartWA/

On Thu, May 25, 2017 at 8:44 AM, Dennis Paulson <dennispaulson at comcast.net>
wrote:

> Hello, tweets.
>
> I have a Pine Siskin at a tube feeder in my yard right now, first one I
> have seen in over a year. They seem to have been scarce in or absent from
> the area this last winter, so I?m glad to see one again. Are they all over
> the place now?
> -----
> Dennis Paulson
> Seattle
>
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