On May 10th, Glacial Heritage opened to the public for its once-a-year event, Prairie Appreciation Day. For many years, South Sound Bird Alliance has led an early-morning bird walk through the prairie and its adjacent habitats. This year, approximately 100 participants joined in the walk, with several trip leaders interspersed among them. With our ears, eyes, scopes, binoculars, and cameras, we were able to encounter 43 species throughout the walk. Most birds were heard-only, however, participants were still able to view the prairie’s stars at various points along the walk, such as Western Bluebirds, Western Meadowlarks, Purple Martins, Chipping Sparrows, and Tree and Violet-green Swallows. The full list of species can be viewed here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S235670746
A HUGE thank you to Laurie Gneiding, our trailblazing main Trip Leader, as well as to all the other volunteer leaders who helped these participants view birds, flowers, and anything else of interest along the walk.
Photo credit: Chipping Sparrow at Prairie Day, by Rachel Hudson.
