NOAA was invaded by HUGE Canada Geese yesterday. Monsters. I accidently got
in the middle of them when popping over to another building - scary!

Stopped by Matthews Beach last night, it looks like it's a favorite sleeping
site for buffleheads. For the half hour I was there, there were continuous
arrrivals of buffleheads.

Also, the black mallard was there again. Looks like he's acquired a mate, so
his coloring must not hinder him much! He actually looks a bit bigger than
the other mallard males.

No sign of the pink-billed goose, although I did spot it the other day at
lunch.

Also seen:

coots a'plenty
~40 wigeons in a compact raft just outside the swimming area
8 Western Grebes
3 Double-crested Cormorants
1 Great Blue Heron
3 Scaup
10 - 30 Buffleheads
2 Common Goldeneye
mallards, mallards, mallards.


My backyard was the scene of a bushtit invasion yesterday. For many
minutes, there was a continuous stream of these little guys flowing through
my yard. My friends and I sat and watched them fly from the apple tree on
one side of the yard, to the pine tree, and then to the huge blue spruce
one yard down - and then off to parts unknown. It was incredible. There
must have been over 200 of them. I tried counting, but they started going
by so quickly that I grew dizzy! The black-capped chickadees paid them no
mind, and just went on gorging themselves on sunflowerseeds - no visits to
the thistle feeder today. I had some dark-eyed Juncos in the bark, and a
Bewick's Wren puttering about in the garden.

Susan Collicott
camel at serv.net
Seattle, WA