Join or Donate
Meet and Learn
Field Trips and Walks
Audubon BirdLoop at Marymoor Park
Citizen Science
Christmas Lake and Rattlesnake Lake Field Trip (5/27/05) Highlights
Seven birding by ear enthusiasts met at the Rattlesnake Lake Recreation Area on an unusually hot, sunny May day.
A slow walk on the forest trail to Christmas Lake yielded many bird vocalizations, including Warbling and Red-Eyed Vireo, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Black-headed Grosbeak, Common Yellowthroat, Swainson's Thrush and Cedar Waxwing.
At Christmas Lake, a Black-throated Gray Warbler was both seen and heard as it flitted through the trees. On the lake itself, a single female Common Merganser was spotted.
EAS member Warren Jones directed the group on an unknown trail from the lake to Boxley Creek, where we emerged on the Iron Horse Trail. There the group got great looks at a colorful male Western Tanager.
Our walk back along the southern edge of Christmas Lake yielded a singing Wilson's Warbler, and a pair of Hairy Woodpeckers.
From there we drove up to the Cedar Falls Environmental Education Center. Here we met up with three birders from Seattle who missed us earlier. A walk along Rattlesnake Lake yielded a Rufous Hummingbird and an adult Bald Eagle.
As we rounded the north end of Rattlesnake Lake, the group was able to study the differences between the songs of the Yellow Warbler and the Warbling Vireo.
The rich warbling song of the Purple Finch ended the day. Afterwards, a few of the group enjoyed lunch while looking out over the lake.
