Tweets-

Last Weds, Dec. 17, I took the other route home from work as
a traffic light was red and I didn't want to wait. Fortuitously,
I went "the other way" through the neighborhood and found
an interesting bird sitting on a fence..as I breezed by, I thought
I saw a jay..but, I turned around and went back for a closer look.
Jay-like, but with white wing bars...hmmm-mmmm..probably
a Shrike...not likely, and besides the beak is too thin.

Friday I drove by again and found 4 guys loading up canoes. I
gave them a heads up on the bird, and, as it turns out, they were
past and present Evergreen students who had studied field biology
and were birders. The guy that lived in the house said he'd pay
attention to what showed up around there.

Yesterday (Sunday) during the Olympia Xmas Bird Count, we
made three trips by there to see if we could pick up that bird.
After walking all over our area, Jon Anderson (Fearless Leader)
suggested one more try. We were chugging slowly up the alley
and when we got to the house where I had seen this bird, the
birder-resident came boiling out of the house shouting
"I saw it! I saw it! It was sitting on the fence at 2 PM in
almost the same place. Yahoo!!

Positive ID. Northern Mockingbird!!

4th and Plymouth in Olympia on the West Side.

Needless to say, I was tickled with the confirmation of
this bird which went a long way toward dispelling the
accusations of partaking in the sacred herbs, etc.
Well, after all, it was Soltstice. :)

Tom







Tom Foote footet at elwha.evergreen.edu
Lab II
The Evergreen State College (360) 866-6000 x6118
Olympia, WA 98505