I have a couple of low-tech inquiries.

1. For the past few days I've had a small group (7 to 8 birds) of
Brewer's blackbirds at my two tube feeders. They like to sit on the
edge of the bottom trays and on the adjacent window sill. They're
quite beautiful, with their elegantly mean-looking beady yellow eyes.
The two-tone females are much better looking than the entirely-brown
depiction in the Peterson Guide. They're also great at chasing away
the house sparrows.

My question is: Is it unusual to have Brewer's blackbirds hanging
around a feeder like that? My feeders are outside a third-floor
apartment kitchen window near Green Lake in Seattle. They seem to
show up off and on all day long.

2. We made our second trek to Spencer Island yesterday, and it was
great. We saw several species we'd never seen before - again.
(This isn't hard, since we're beginners.)

My question is: How far is it from the raised concrete parking lot
opposite the sewage ponds, down the road to the bridge, around the
island via the north tip and back on the levee (skipping the south
salt-marsh loop), and then back to the parking area. The ranger once
threw some distances at me, but I've forgotten. It must be three or
four miles.

Thanks for your help.

Bob Mauritsen
rhm at ms.washington.edu