West Seattle Friday: Welcome to the pre-holiday weekend

West Seattle photographer Machel Spence shares the photo from Lincoln Park – a bird (ID, anyone?) that had just caught a flicker (which, Machel says, it’s standing on). Might be a good day to visit a park, as the calendar is quieting down with the holiday approaching. (Or walk through on your way to Colman Pool when it opens tomorrow!) A few highlights for today/tonight:

SID LAW AT C & P: The coffeehouse announces tonight’s musical guest: “One of our favorites … Sid Law from 6-8 pm at C & P Coffee. Covering a century of music from the 1920’s to the present, Sid Law has taken the art of the one man band off the streets and into a wide variety of venues. Equally at home in any style, Sid sparkles with beautiful original arrangements from the Great American Songbook, country, or rock and pop, as well as enchanting audiences with improvised soundscaping flourishes.” Check out this YouTube clip.

ROLLER SKATING AT ALKI COMMUNITY CENTER: The Friday night skates are back and you’re invited tonight, 6:45-8:45 pm, details here, including a map to the center if somehow you’ve never been!

LIVE MUSIC AT SKYLARK: Four acts on the calendar tonight – Friday Night Gumbo, Cassie Correlle, Quinn Deveaux, Dillon Warnek. 8 pm (3803 Delridge Way SW).

LIVE MUSIC AT FEEDBACK LOUNGE: Flat 5 is at The Feedback (WSB sponsor) tonight, described on the FL website: “If you missed ’em last time, this is your chance to catch THE FLAT 5 and their funked-up R&B grooves as they return to The Feedback Lounge by popular demand. We dare you not to shake that which needs shaking.” 9 pm (6451 California SW)

LIVE MUSIC AT THE BENBOW ROOM: Intisaar, Sweetlix, per the Heartland Café calendar, 9 pm. (4210 SW Admiral Way)

Oh, and then there’s the downtown thing you’ve been hearing a lot about:

SEATTLE GREAT WHEEL: Thanks to West Seattle-based Craig Harrold Photography for sharing the photo. It opens today. Craig says West Seattle architect Robin Murphy worked on some of the adjacent structures, so check ’em out while you’re there. Official SGW website here. If you take a ride, let us know – and on the first sunny day, we’d love to see a photo of West Seattle from 175 feet up!

Machel Spence June 29, 2012 (10:30 am)

Definitely not an owl Tracy, I am not a bird of prey expert but I think it’s a falcon or hawk. I’m sure someone will get on here and correct it…come on Lincoln Park bird experts! I think Cooper’s Hawk?

Jennifer June 29, 2012 (10:37 am)

Looks like a Cooper’s Hawk.

Carolyn June 29, 2012 (10:46 am)

The bird is a red tailed hawk, I believe.

miws June 29, 2012 (10:53 am)

Spilornis noziplinisinmydomicii? ;-)

Mike

Sarah June 29, 2012 (10:54 am)

Definitely of the genus Accipiter, most likely a Cooper’s Hawk. Certainly not a Red-tail.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooper's_Hawk

Melanie June 29, 2012 (10:55 am)

Coopers Hawk, and a great photo by the way!

RobertSeattle June 29, 2012 (10:57 am)

I’ll be curious if/when the Great Wheel shows off its color lights instead of just the white lights.

WSB June 29, 2012 (11:08 am)

RobertSeattle – we’ll be watching after dusk! I haven’t seen them since the short-lived test featured here thanks to a West Seattle tipster and a downtown person’s phone cam … TR

AE June 29, 2012 (11:00 am)

It’s a Cooper’s or sharp-shinned. I’m going to agree with Machel and Jennifer on the Cooper’s based on size relative to the flicker. Nice shot!! Tough lighting.

michael June 29, 2012 (11:10 am)

Peregrine Falcon?

KD June 29, 2012 (11:25 am)

Is that a flicker or ‘Flikr??? !!” Haha. (for all you contributing WSea. photographers.)

ad June 29, 2012 (11:28 am)

@Robert & TR, I’m wondering the same thing! I’m hoping for solid color.

Michelle June 29, 2012 (11:46 am)

Wow, great photo Craig!

Jordan June 29, 2012 (12:37 pm)

Love Craig’s photo with the structure and the wheel nicely framing the ferry heading off into the fog.

Woodsman June 29, 2012 (2:12 pm)

Imagine this photo with a new zip line in it! Say goodbye to the birds in the trees and say hello to all the crazys zipping from tree to tree!

Jordan June 29, 2012 (2:53 pm)

Misread yesterday’s post I guess. I don’t think the birds would care about the zip line one way or the other.

DTK June 29, 2012 (3:04 pm)

It’s a sparrow that lived next to the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Ann June 29, 2012 (4:13 pm)

Cooper’s Hawk

JumboJim June 29, 2012 (7:30 pm)

Yes, that is a Cooper’s Hawk. They nest in the park; Sharp-shinned Hawks (which look very similar) are rare here in the summer, never having been known to nest in Lincoln Park.
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This is one of the species that could be most negatively affected by zip-lining. They nest in the tree canopy and are vulnerable to disturbance, especially while selecting a nest site and building a nest.
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Lincoln and other large Seattle parks are the only places where they have enough area in which to nest and capture enough prey to succesfully raise young. It would be a real shame to disturb their nesting habitat as they have only recently re-established themselves as fairly common nesters after decades of low populations due to DDT and wide-spread slaughter as “chicken hawks”. There used to be a bounty on these birds until at least the 1930’s.