Willet

John Ralston just got back into town today, and called me around 5 p.m. to say he had a possible Willet down at Bellevue. So, what did I do? You got it - hopped on the bike and headed down there. I biked past the Tufted Duck on the way, then set up the scope to look for shorebirds. The Willet was there, a little further out than when John saw it, actively feeding with 3 Lesser Yellowlegs. Another new bird for my SSM list (#262)!!! It was too far out for any good photos, but if any of my digiscoped ones turn out to be ID'able then I'll post them here soon.

Yesterday morning I biked down around Bellevue, adding American Redstart to the year list. The Tufted Duck was still there, so I decided that kayaking out to it might get me some better photos. Of course, by the time I got back down there with the kayaks, it had moved over to the Marina. Jim Evans was there photographing it, along with his friends Steffon Mcgregor and Chris (whose last name I didn't catch). Jim sent me one of his photos with his Nikon D300, definitely better than anything I got. The light was nice from the kayak, and the birds let me get closer than they did when I was on land, although the difference wasn't all that great.

Black-and-White Warbler at the Locks - May 10

Northern Rough-winged Swallow at Bellevue - May 11

Tufted Duck at Bellevue - May 11