Hello all,
FINALLY, the summer mobs of people have dwindled away plus our wintering
birds are beginning to arrive. During the past three weeks the group of
American (no Eurasian yet) wigeon has grown to about 300. Yesterday AM,
Oct 04, small lines of both Surf and White-winged scoters were seen flying
close by the end of the fishing pier. Also seen in the water off the
Beach Park were 4 Western grebes and about 6 basic-plumed Horned grebes
plus a single Rhinocerous auklet.

The Double-crested cormorants have arrived, 2 adults and 4 immatures.

On September 29th, a single, thought-to-be juvenile, BROWN PELICAN was
seen perched on the south end of the Marina jetty. This was reported to
me yesterday by retirees who often bird the area twice a day. They called
the sighting in to Thais Bock and the Tahoma Audubon chapter. My retiree
friends also saw a flock of at least 15 Killdeer on the beach, perhaps
storm-related behavior. A few Killdeer are often seen here, even year
around, but a flock of this size is unusual, indeed.

Also seen, Oct 04, in the woodlands east of the Senior Center buildings
were 2 flycatching-feeding Yellow-rumped warblers and the ubiquitous mixed
flocks of Golden-crowned kinglets and Black-capped chickadees, at least 5
territorial Song sparrows and an alarm-calling female Spotted towhee.
The S. towhees seem to have been declining here in the past two years, so
was happy to see this one. A few days previous during the height of one
of the storms, a fairly large flock of Chestnut-backed chickadees
(infrequent in our local area) was seeking shelter in the trees close to
my condo complex.

Finally, earlier this AM, Oct 05, whilst driving to the Burien P&R, I
spotted a beautiful male and female pair of Wood ducks on a small
spring-fed/catch basin pond just off First South near about 200th S
(Normandy Park). The male looked to have quite fresh plumage.....lovely!

More as I see things,
Maureen Ellis me2 at u.washington.edu Univ of WA and Des Moines, WA