Our Winged Friends

Birding Journal:

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9-9-06 The downy woodpecker is hopping around in the plum tree is quite entertaining while I massage folks. He's visited twice today.

9-13-06 I got pretty excited during my last massage session. I saw red breasted nuthatch for the 2nd time ever! http://birdweb.org/birdweb/bird_details.aspx?id=333

10-4-06 Oh all the birds are great! So busy today! A few families of flickers hop around in our yard looking for bugs and take dust baths. My backyard has maybe 50 birds flitting all over! I LOVE IT! Flickers, black capped chickadees, chestnut chickadees, red breasted nuthatch, and tons of little dark eyed juncos! All the chirping and singing! I camped out leaning against the window looking out and the chickadees came over to the window just inches away checking me out. *gushing with little girl delight!* I can hardly wait til my flock of bushtits come for a visit. JUST LOVE the little bushtits almost round and sooo tiny!

10-14-06 My downy woodpecker friend came for a visit today. Just about the cutest darn bird!

11-17-06 I had a lovely day packed with fun things yesterday. I had six clients, a lovely garlicky lunch, a bit of bird watching and got to see water, south Lake Washington. We saw 15 cormorants in a row, a great heron, mallards, and mergansers.

11-28-06 Downy woodpecker picture I took just now through the massage room window. So, I guess I am in play with my camera mode. See H got himself digital SLR awhile back and he gave me his old camera. I still need to look at the manual. I really have only taken a couple pictures but today I took like 50 pictures! I didn't get any good junko pictures but I did get some good downy woodpecker shots and some bushtits all through the massage room window. My favorite backyard birds! My downy friend and bushtits!!!

12-6-06 There was a hawk in our yard today! We saw it fly across the street out of the yard. It was either a sharp shin or coopers hawk.

12-15-06 Today I saw a Townsend's Warbler flocking with the bushtits and the chickadees.

12-16-06 I just went the library a few blocks from the house and perched on a fence right by the library as bigger than life was a BOP bird of prey. And darnit as I pulled in and slowed it took off. I think maybe a sharp shinned hawk or coopers hawk?

12-29-06 Every day this week, I've had a boy flicker visitor.
Some pictures I took from the massage room.

1-5-07 I guess a storm is coming the birds are here in force eating like it might be days before they get to eat again. I've seen my friends the downy woodpecker, flickers, bushtits abound, chickadees, chestnut chickadees, boy junkos and their girlfriends, and a new bird! or at least new to my knowledge base. A Bewick's wren! Adorable!!!

1-6--07 This morning has been another fun birding out my massage window. So far I've seen two flickers, a flock of junkos, chickadees, my adorable friend the Townsend Warbler, and a new bird, a spotted Towhee!

1-11-07 Snowy day with time for bird pictures!

1-16-07 Such a great bird watching day! I saw a Spotted Towhee intentionally drop leaf debris on the head of a starling. It made me chuckle. There tons of bushtits here today with the usual chickadees, chestnut chickadees and junkos. We saw the boy flicker but he seems more shy than the girl flicker. We also saw my new friend the Bewicks Wren. And I saw a Varied Thrush!! He stood on a trimmed branch singing flicking his tail! So handsome with a big round belly!!!

1-18-07 Yesterday was a perfectly mellow day. For our date, we went to beach park in Des Moines, bird watched, and took pictures. Maybe I'll post the pictures later. We saw these adorable Barrow's goldeneye ducks ,the not quite as cute surf scooters, common goldeneye, and several really sweet killdeer. And of course, the usual gulls. Even though I really like Sibley's bird guide, I am really fond of Birds of Seattle.

1-19-07 After a nice big teriyaki lunch, we went bird watching at the Renton River Boathouse on South Lake Washington. Upon our arrival we saw male and female buffleheads, a mallard couple with a domestic hybrid male mallard friend, common goldeneyes, common mergansers, coot, brandt's cormorants, various gulls, and an earned grebe, H took lots of great pictures and I used binoculars to better see the ducks. The river delta was beautiful with clear water making the silt look like a painting. We heard what sounded like a bald eagle telling someone off, but later surmised was a ticked off gull.

1-20-07 These are pictures I took Wednesday. I am feeling more confident with the digital camera. Today it was the usual bird party: bushtits, chickadees, chestnut chickadees, and junkos. The Bewicks Wren was here for almost a full hour eating and posing adorable with his tail almost straight up behind him. The Townsend Warbler came in for a meal with the 30+ bushtits.

2-7-07  I only have a couple of minutes but I didn't want to forget to mention we went for a 30 min. walk on the Cedar River to South Lake Washington and saw lots of ducks! goldeneyes, grebes, gulls, coots, and more! While walking, an outside bunny came up to me to say hi and see if I had any good treats. I also had a duck chat with three hybrid ducks later in the walk.

2-11-06 I went for a walk over 30 min. along the Green River in a  wetland preserve area. We only saw mallards as far as we walked. But on the drive back to my house, I saw in a marshy area in the midst of industrial land near the Boeing Space Center goldeneyes, buffleheads, and mergansers. N indulged me and we stopped and took a peak! How cool! I was excited to see the cute little ducks. They were skittish though - saying something like "hey folks people drive by here they do not bird watch in an industrial area, move along people." 

2-18-07  I took N to another favorite birding site at South Lake Washington. We saw the usual mallards, hybrid mallards, coots, male mergansers, gadwalls, buffleheads, and goldeneyes. We saw some other birders with a big scope and that were better dressed for the weather. I chatted with them briefly checking on how I was doing with my bird identification. heh Links for pictures http://birdweb.org/birdweb/family_details.aspx?family_id=52

2-25-07 Mt. Vernon along I-5 saw bald eagle on post. At Little Mountain Park that afternoon saw a group of varied thrushes on the ground maybe 4.

3-2-2007 Saw my first lovely male American Goldfinch who was hanging with my Townsend Warbler friend. Lots of junkos and chickadees.

3-21-2007 Yesterday I saw a male and female varied thrush. So pretty!! Here's a picture snagged off the net. I couldn't take one since well, technically I was rubbing someone at the time I saw them.

3-22-2007 We went for a combo bike/walk in Kent scouting where I can ride on my days I work down there. We saw a gorgeous cormorant and swifts and lots of ducks. The wind was a bit chilly, but I had a great time!

5-18-2007 I saw two boys [blackheaded grossbeaks] today! How beautiful! Off line at my kayak event.

5-23-2007 Please tell me something that made you smile today?  Mine - I was in between clients and looked out my massage room window and saw a lovely bright round robin. He or she sat in our bird bath, just sat surveying the yard and then began to bath. I love watching birds bathe. For not being much of voyeur of people, I certain am a voyeur of animals.

Today has been a delightfully mellow day. I had lunch with S and then went for a bike ride. I saw a cormorant, mergansers, coots, and other ducks in a little pond on the Green River Trail. I'm getting back in the swing of getting myself and my trike out on the trail. One great advantage of going on a drizzly day is there was practically noone else there. I had the trail to myself:) I'm surprised at what aches in my body from riding I don't recall using my abs to pedal? Anyhew it's so much fun I don't know why I stopped - oh yeah, winter, cold, rain, and short days. Well, yah for Spring! 

6-25-2007 I didn't do too much outdoors, but I do want to load up my trike tomorrow or Wednesday so I can start going for rides again. I'm getting soft and I miss the trike.  I have time when I'm in Kent to ride around. I could even ride to lunch, lock it up, eat, and ride off to the trail. It's all wonderfully flat and cute in downtown Kent. I did however see the coolest hawk! I was driving... yes I pulled over. Ok, well actually I just pulled into the center turn lane and turned on my hazards and bird watched for a few minutes. He soared and soared. It was sooooooo coool!!!! He or she is Northern Harrier. I figured it out thanks to H's tip and "Hawks from Every Angle" a birding book. And yes, I was both talking on the phone and bird watching while driving but I did pull over and I had my headset on. I swear!

6-28-2007 I went for a ride on my trike again today for about 70 minutes. It was rad! I saw LBB's [little brown bunnies], a couple killdeers and even got to voyeur one bathing, swallows, American goldfinches, swallows, sparrows, and some feisty robins. The ride was spectacular, despite the rain followed by weird sunny humid weather. I went south on the Interurban Trail and then took the Green River trail and then back the office via the Interurban Trail. The office is literally less than a block away from the Interurban Trail.

7-4-2007 We went for a bike/trike ride combo for the first time ever! And we rode somewhere new to boot! How exciting! And I went for 10 whole miles. It may not seem much to those of you biker types, but it's huge for me! H was incredibly patient and supportive, letting me set pace and not pushing me. We took a few bird watching breaks and snacks. We saw ducks, mergansers, red wing black birds, great blue herons, swallows, and sparrows. I people watched a bit too. It was the busiest trail I've ever been on - and people are pretty diverse in their biking attire.

	7--16-2007 Cormorants and Killdeer at Fort Ward, Trumpeter Swan at  http://www.bloedelreserve.org/.  7- 29-2007  We went kayaking on Lake Washington which was wonderful! Turtles, baby ducks, mergansers, green heron, great blue heron, Canadian geese, river otters and more! Loved it! H went for a little unexpected swim. ahem... It was a great trip even if a little wet:) 8-15-2007 Cheerful sight! I just watched the cutest thing EVAR! I have a whiskey barrel water fountain that I put together from instructions on container-water-gardening a few summers back. We just added a couple small koi last week. And I added a new dwarf umbrella palm plant. My dwarf water lily has lovely little leaves this year; last year when I bought it was just a little bare root. The original plants I put in it years ago turned out to be "marginal" water plants better suited for a bog. So, I made a bog and put them in it:) Anyway back the cuteness, this morning, I walked up to my sliding glass door and saw something in my pond. Concerned at first, I just stared. I had been planning to add a few gallons of water because it evaporates and gets splashed out as well. At any rate, I saw three chickadees bathing in my pond! No, not in our bird bath in the yard in the pond. One dunked himself repeated flying by the water and dunking. Another bathed in the slightly submerged pot for the lily. And the third bathed in the spout for the fountain; he literally sat in the spout! I watched and watched and then thought doh! I grabbed my camera and only got a few shots none really very good but maybe you get the idea:) These little guys just make me smile everyday... 10-12-207  Today was a busy bird day out at the suet feeders. Northern Flicker, chickadees and chestnut chickadees, junkos, the downy woodpecker, and a nuthatch! I also got watch a sparrow work for over an hour to try to get inside the chickadee bird house [he's too big.] He even brought his girlfriend to show her the house but alas he couldn't get more than his head in the opening. Maybe we should offer them some better suited real estate? 11-21-07 I saw a hummingbird last week checking my spent nasturtiums, and  H put up hummingbird feeders for me. He has found them! I got to see the hummingbird at length yesterday! And H got to see him today. We'll keep feeding him as long as he continue to see him. It was 36 degrees out and there he was eating. We believe some hummingbirds don't migrate away from the area and it looks like we're going to find out for sure:) My outside birds never fail to make me smile and lighten my mood. This morning H spotted two Bewicks wrens! We think that the hummingbird may be a rufus. Our fav bird site for quick identification. 11-30-7 H took a picture of our hummer! This is an Anna's hummingbird and stays in our area year round. He/she visits many many times a day:)   12-10-07 This morning the birds are enjoying the bird goodies I got them:) It's nice to see everyone! In the last few days I've seen the boy & girl Norther Flicker woodpeckers, the bewicks wren, two Anna's hummingbirds, junkos, towhees, bushtits, the red-breasted nuthatch, Stellar Jays, red finches, and tons of sparrows:)  12-21-07 And the squirrels finally found the feeder we got & hung outside! It's been weeks - I've been a bit disappointed. And today! I got to watch a squirrel in the feeder which looks like a mini porch swing:) And I just saw TWO red breasted nuthatches!!! 1-3-08 On my drive home from work I saw the coolest thing EVAR!!! http://birdweb.org/birdweb/bird_details.aspx?value=search&id=240 I'm so excited I can hardly stand myself!!!! I veered a little but managed to stay on the road:) heh 2-24-08 Mt. Vernon, WA Massive flocks of swans!!! They are soooo beautiful! All winter I made my own suet for the birds from this recipe; it's not melt proof however so I've switched to premade stuff. Sorry! I'm such a slacker about updating this page! Next page of Entries

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