sorry about the previous message, folks. i am trying to find
my typing fingers right now.

well, i have returned to the big city after spending five weeks
taking a class at friday harbor labs on san juan island. to
celebrate my return, several friends and i went birding at the
montlake fill this past sunday morning. while there, we saw the
usual compliment of bird life along with a few interesting
additions.

since my friends are beginning birders (or, more likely,
intermediate birders) they are impressed by the colorful birds
such as american goldfinches (the "potato chip" bird) and the
warblers. well, imagine their reaction when we spotted a young
bullock's oriole sitting close to the trail on the top of a
bush. it was quite satisfying. we also saw a couple vaux's swift
that intermingled with the four species of swallows that were
present in large flocks. a pair of caspian terns glided over
our heads and, as if to announce their presence to the few
people that were present, one of them began making a loud, hoarse
cry. we noticed that the northern shovelers are looking quite
ratty as they moult from their breeding plumage and the canada
geese have become quite paranoid since the vast majority of them
have moulted their primaries. the most interesting sighting of
the morning was seeing an eastern kingbird hunting from a bush
located on the western side of the large pond. we watched this
bird hunt for at least ten minutes before it flew away. then,
before leaving the "fill", we returned and found the bird again.
it is quite beautiful. this bird sports a "tuxedo look" with
its black head, charcoal grey back and brilliant white belly.
the white band splashed across the end of its tail accentuates
its crisp color pattern quite nicely. and its body movements
are so energetic and so...definate...that it made me think that
this bird, if it was a dancer, would surely be a flamenco
dancer.

overall, the morning was quite an enjoyable experience.

deborah
wisti at zoology.washington.edu
nyneve at u.washington.edu