Today, Sunday, a cold day with icy winds blasting down the Sound out of
the north..........Brrr! An EARED grebe is amongst the horned grebes and
the Barrows goldeneyes; saw in the water between Sheds G and H right at
the marina. has mostly all black neck and head with a hint of golden
"ears", i.e., looks like intermediate winter-going-to-breeding plumage.
It is slightly smaller, more slender-necked, with a smaller,
differently shaped head and more refined bill than its horned grebe
pals. Eared grebes have been reported to winter at the marina in past years.
Look for the two-or-more pied-billed grebes here, too.

A bedraggled, adult redtail hawk was in the trees right at the entrance
to Des Moines Creek Park. It had the usual chorus of commenting
crow-onlookers. Redtails are not usually seen in this immediate area;
curiously I found a freshly dead (not yet rigid) glaucous-winged gull on
the lawn in sight of the hawk, maybe a late lunch disturbed by passersby?

Lots of the usual surf scoters, few white-winged scoters, American
wigeon, increasing coot population, and the pelagic cormorant is still
hanging out with the double-cresteds on the totem poles. (poor sentence
structure, but convey the idea).

Will post Sierra Vista trip details in several segments, for those of you
who, like me, have just started visiting SE Arizona.

First the excess rain, and now all this cold and even snow. I moved from
northern Utah to get away from this. SE Arizona was REALLY wonderful a
couple of weeks ago. If for nothing than to review differences between
Brewer's and Cassin's sparrows, must return.....must return.............

Maureen E. Ellis, me2 at u.washington.edu, U of WA, Seattle and Des Moines, WA.