[obol] [Fwd: .......Birding in Brush Prairie.]

[gerald]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	.......Birding in Brush Prairie.
Date: 	Sun, 26 Aug 2007 23:56:28 -0400
From: 	gerald <gerald at e-z.net>
To: 	Tweeters at u.washington.edu



................Spent Sat. and Sun. afternoon at the Wildlife Botanical 
Gardens on  NE. 149th St in Brush Prairie, Wash. area (...about 16 miles 
north of Vanc. Wash.). The Wildlife Gardens  is a unique 3 acre display 
of 12 distinct gardens( some still being developed) devoted to 
demonstrating and teaching gardening concepts which will attractbirds, 
butterflies,hummingbirds,and other wildlife to snall and larger 
residential gardens.. Native and non-native trees and flowers are 
planted.. The  WSU area is surrounded by many, many acres of  tall 
evergreen woodlands with a number of hiking trails, and 2 large man-made 
ponds  with native plants and trees around them.
...............1st walked aroung and enjoyed the thousands of beautiful 
flowerw-both wild and domestic. Zillions of bees --3 different species 
--buzzed everwhere, though the butterflies seen were limited to White 
Cabbage butterflies. Saw no birds as I walked around.
...............Then I sat down in a large brown gazebo, then in about 10 
minites birds showed up from everywhere!!! Sat. some people were working 
there, but when they left, the birds came back. The weather was 
partlly-mostly cloudy and 68'-76'--perfect!!!
...............This is 'songbird heaven' so here goes:

                     Scrub Jays (5)
                     Stellers Jays
                     Black-capped Chickadees
                     Purple Finches (...along with the Chickadees 
simply* loved* the lavender-colored berries on a tall tree near the 
gazebo!!)
                     Am. Goldfinch
                     House Wren
                     Cedar Waxwing (1)
                      House Finch
                     Mourning Dove (2)
                     Anna's Hummingbirds (...kept flying into a nearby 
Vine Maple--a nest??)
                     Rufous Humingbirds
                     Western Wood Peewee
                      Spotted Towhee
                     Common Yellowthroat ( 1-a female or immature)
                      Am,. Robin
                     White-breasted Nutthatch (...on fir-tree trunks 
bordering woods next to area).
                      Warbling Vireo (1)(...distance *prevented* a 
'positive ID' on this one!!!)
                      Black-headed Grosbeak (1)
.................Sat: Hiked around one of the 1 ponds----Were about 12 
Rough-winged Swallows swooping over the water for insects (...color and 
ID marks matched that species). But when I returned Sun.afterenoon to 
"double-check" there wasn't a Swallow to be seen!!!(..might have been 
migrating through and stopped to feed,). Sone kind of Sparrow was seen 
across the pond,  and 1 Red-winged Blackbird was heard. 2 Black Swifts 
flew overhead over the pond.

.................Then there was the black and white cat Sat. and the 
lanky black cat Sun---'ferals' I would think. They didn't think much of 
me "invading their territory"!!!

                  Cheers.............Gerald Hamilton
                                          Brush Prairie, Wash.
                                          gerald at e-z.net



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