KMT Report 3/5 

I birded KMT today from 7:00am-9:30am. I hoped perhaps a very early
warbler song would stand out in the mix, but it wasn't to be. However, it
was a beautiful morning with some nice birds, highlights:



10 Sandhill cranes
1 Blue-headed vireo
2 Yellow-bellied sapsucker
4 Golden-crowned kinglet
1 Ruby-crowned kinglet
1 Hermit thrush
2 Yellow-rumped warbler
60+ Cedar waxwing
1 White-throated sparrow
5 Pine warbler (heard, not seen)
1 Eastern phoebe (heard, not seen)



The small group of cranes flew right between the big and little mountains -
at eye level from the saddle - what a sight! Vireo was in the snag area
near the road, the thrush in the scrub at the top of the snag area. One
sapsucker was a juvenile, the other an adult male. They were chasing each
other around in huge circles through the woods, seemingly fighting over
the rights to a prime tree near the road. I saw the male pull 2-3 red
berries out of holes in this tree but it wasn't clear if he ate them;
wonder if they were cached there by another species in pre-made sapsucker
wells?



Ken Blankenship