hello tweets.

i went to the montlake fill tonight for a quick look around.
i have been to the fill every day this week, but nothing has
changed since my monday census, so i basically haven't had
anything new to tell you about, until today.

besides the usual group of suspects, i also saw some new and
interesting birds. there were two long-billed dowitchers
poking around in the mud surrounding the so-called "dry pond"
as well as feeding in the deeper waters. these two birds were
very dark reddish-black on their wings, and their rusty-red
sides and bellies were liberally peppered with black-edged
feathers. they both had bright red vents, although one had
some white feathers mixed in with the red. the dowitchers
were quite companionable, always very concerned to remain in
close proximity at all times.

i sat next to a big clump of grass on the shoreline, watching
these birds for quite some time. when i finally took my binos
away from my eyes, i noticed a robin sitting about five feet
away from my foot, eyes half closed. the robin didn't seem to
realize i was a human (instead of a shaggy rock, i suppose)
until i stood up. the look in that robin's eyes in that split
second was quite amusing.

i also saw a very handsome breeding-plumaged dunlin on this same
pond. this bird was feeding with a group of 15 western
sandpipers, and even though it was obviously larger with a much
longer bill and the unique black belly, it only seemed
out-of-place when the crows chased them into the air. the
dunlin's surprisingly loud and raspy call contrasted sharply
with the lighter and quieter titters of the flying sandpipers.

other notable birds include two pair of cinnamon teal, one pair
of blue-winged teal, three american pipits, and approximately
20-25 each of western and least sandpipers. i also noticed that
there are at least four mallard families consisting of between
six and ten newly-hatched ducklings. the killdeer mama is still
incubating her clutch of three eggs, rarely popping off the nest
for any reason. i also saw a single, very shy, cackling canada
goose with a drooping right wing. a peregrine falcon flew
through the rain right over my head as i was leaving the fill
for the night.

all in all, it was a great time, despite the cold wind and the
rain. i was there from 530pm-700pm, and saw 52 species.

regards,

Deborah Wisti-Peterson email:nyneve at u.washington.edu
Department of Zoology, University of Washington, Seattle, Wash, USA
Visit me on the web: http://students.washington.edu/~nyneve/
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