Tweets,

Since the usual reporters haven't been keeping up with the Fill Report ;-)

Tuesday evening, mostly sunny, mid 60's F.

Canada Goose - there must be several hundred counting the goslings ranging
from wee tikes to about a foot tall.
Cinnamon Teal - pair in Shoveler' pond still there
Ruddy Duck - pair in Stuart's pond
Scaup - pair, I am negligent in differentiating greater from lesser...
Gadwall and Mallards by the 10's
Spotted Sandpiper - saw three together very briefly
Killdeer - several
Ring-necked Pheasant - at least three calling males; saw one being annoyed
by a crow; the crow was walking along after it, and would approach closely
every time the pheasant would start to forage, at which point the pheasant
would take a stab at the crow (which would hop out of range)... this may
be the same crow I saw carrying a beercan earlier (you know, good 'ole
American passtime of getting blitzed and harrasing the wildlife).
Common Yellowthroat - one male
Bald Eagle - adult, subspecies "wimpus": scared off by two red-winged
blackbirds! And then had the poor image to fuss over what was left of its
teeny little fish as it flew away...
Red-winged Blackbirds - dozens, all the males quite aggressive
Marsh Wren - several singing
Pied-bill Grebes - 2
Great-blue Heron - two, one of which was being chased by...a male
Red-winged Blackbird
House Finch - 4
European Starlings - dozens
Swallows - the air is *full* of them: Violet-green, Barn, and Cliff -
hundreds.
Vaux Swift - only picked out one in the crowd
Savannah Sparrow - 1 singing
Crow species - several dozen, including the inebriate
Downy Woodpecker - one female
Coot - about six
American Goldfinch - 2
Tweeterus lurkerus - one, identified by vocalizations :-) (just had to get
that in)

Painted Turtle - caught it walking from the north field back to Shoveler's
pond: question for Kelly: do these turtles lay eggs in the fields? Seems
to be the only explanation for it being on the footpath.


Michael Patrick
mpatrick at eldec.com
(206)743-8204