It's not a yard ornament. It's a falcon? A merlin?

At least I think that's what I saw as I walked the dog with a friend this afternoon toward the cemetery on top of Kent's Scenic Hill.

I looked over, admiring some of the Christmas displays, and noticed one of the fixtures a. didn't have lights and b. was moving. Usually you don't see raptors on the ground unless they are eating something.

This one was looking at me, and then flew up to a nearby tree to see me from a safer distance. I rushed home to look a the bird books. The wings ended a sharp point, and it had a buff colored chest, with grey wings and grey markings. So I'm thinking sharp shinned hawk (on the above right) or the merlin (left).

Either, frankly would be cool. I'm about ready to start wearing binocs on these walks, the cool kind you can take digital pictures with through the eye pieces.

Photographs courtesy of the Seattle Audubon Society.

Fire gone, but skepticism still smolders

Finally stopped at the construction site across from the Smith Brothers Farm, and talked to three guys sitting around the lunch table. Nope, houses are not going up on that land, but the state is using it as a staging area for work on 167. In about a month or so, they'll be gone.

As for the debris fire, these guys were simply shaking their heads. Apparently, the pile sits on the site of a recycling business (for construction and plant debris). The fire apparently just started, according to company officials (drove by, didn't see a sign, so no idea about the name of the company.) The guys around the table were skeptical about that. But at least the fire is out now.

On the way to Highway 18, I kept seeing attempts at natural plantings, "old" snags for hawks nests, et al. It seems this is a renovation by the City of Auburn of Mill Creek? I tried to take a picture of the work with my camera phone, but rain sort of got in the way. Looks like an impressionist shot of the Green River Valley, before the warehouses.

My daughter refuses to go for walks on the beach with me, to which I say, oh well..

On of the reasons is exemplified by this camera phone snap of this moon jelly, taken this summer.

The aurelia labiata floats along and often washes up on Puget Sound shores, but before it does that, it's a favorite snack of turtles, some birds. Unfortunately plastic bags floating in the water look very similar to these creatures.

I'm still a bit haunted by the National Geographic picture of a juvenile bird, living in some far off island chain, that starved to death because of the plastic lodged in its stomach.

Soo, I pic up garbage on the beach, the Safeway bags, the fishing line, the six pack tops, the yogurt containers and the pull tabs.

Mooom! That's the sound of my daughter walking behind me, asking me to please stop picking up the trash. I won't stop. I know it's embrassing to her, but well, she'll get over it.

Heron looking for breakfast in Lake Smith

Which I is what I call the lake that's annually created around the Smith Brother Farms. Went by today, and that debris pile is still smoldering, and I still don't know what is being built on that corner. Will continue to pester Auburn City Hall for answers and let you know.

But as we were driving north again on the West Valley Highway, I looked over, and there was a great blue heron, wading in Lake Smith, looking for something to eat. Surprisingly, this afternoon, most of the lakes, including Lake Kent, located just north of S. 277th Street, were gone.

This woodpecker wasn't in the mood for a sermon

In church yesterday, just as the minister began to talk, a banging began on top of the church roof, and continued off and on through the first half of her sermon.

She finally burst out laughing, saying that perhaps the bird had already heard this pitch last advent season.

I doubt it was this bird (above) a downy woodpecker, which I see, shyly hiding around the trees, or the big guys- pileated woodpecker- but more likely a flicker (right), which did the same thing last spring on the flashing in our house. Sounded a bit like a small jackhammer set to periodic bursts.

I learned later it's the male's way of attracting a mate, whoever bangs the loudest, wins the female.

Pictures, sans banging, courtesy of Seattle Audubon

Can I have smoke with my latte please?

Driving to the Supermall yesterday, my daughter and I looked up (too far away for her cell phone to capture) a fire on top of a huge debris pile (the fire looked a bit like this, minus the standing trees, which had already been chopped down and thrown into said pile ) that must have been at least a couple stories tall.

It's the lot right across from the Smith Brothers Farm. I had thought this area was under the farmlands preservation protection, but it is instead under the blade, big time.

I saw the smoke this morning, and later called the Auburn Development Department, asking what this was about. I wasn't the first one to call. The nice lady on the other end said that in fact, fire deparatments did respond, and then decided the fire was the landowner's responsibilty put out. When I mentioned farmlands preservation, I just heard crickets chirping on the other end. And no, she didn't know what was going to be built there. I plan to knock on the trailer door and ask tomorrow.

The land is just outside the Auburn City limits, she claimed, so she didn't have any paperwork on it. Today's weather simply drowned the flames, and created the usual lakes along South 277th Street. Caused over the years by all the development in the lowlands. This new (strip mall, used car lot, Starbucks, take your pick) will add to the problem you see after storms like this.

Picture courtesy of US Forest Service

Do you want paper or plastic?

First, let me just confess this up front. We going out and cutting a real Christmas tree this year. Always have, my guess is, always will. But are we doing right by the environment? And are we anachronisms? My daughter said she was only one of two kids in her group that hang out at middle school that were going "real" green this year with the trees.

As it is, we've had to go further and further afield for to search out Christmas tree farms; and I fear this will be the last time we use that one that is next to Auburn Mountainview High School. It's now surrounded by development.

Anyway, the debate goes on in blogs, PR land, as well as in news articles and press releases about what is the real environmental choice. It seems tho, that the troops prefer the real deal.