Yes, Early Fall, indeed........a bright, freshly plumed "gray
phase" female Western Tanager was seen Sunday, August 20, in the forest
canopy just outside my windows on the NE side of Seahurst Park, a
forested coastal park on the west side of Burien, WA (suburb of
Seattle.) This seems really quite early for this migrant. Maybe, the
vast acreage in flames around the West is affecting bird dispersal.

I also saw a mixed flock (seems early for this kind of mixing) of Golden-
and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Black-capped and
Chestnut-backed Chickadees, and Juncoes on the Lake Valhalla/Lichtenberg
Mt portion of the Pacific Crest Trail (trail head leads north from
Steven's Pass), Saturday, August 19. Also seen on the trail was a very
tame Spruce Grouse hen with half-grown chicks. I was hiking with my
brother, not a birder, but it was a very delightful experience for him to
see a wild grouse so cooperative. Other species seen were Gray Jays,
Robin flocks and an uncharacteristically 'tame' juvenile Hermit
Thrush........stayed close by on an eye level branch checking us out.
A single Turkey Vulture cruised above the highway near Sultan, WA. Not bad
for a not-really-birding day! Serious rain, though,(really needed) up
near the lake and peak destination; also, quite chilly most of the day,
maybe only the high forties till mid afternoon.

Cheers, Maureen
****************************************
Maureen Ellis, PhD, Research Scientist
Toxicology Group at Roos 1, 284A
Lab/Office phone: 206-685-1938
Dept of Environmental Health, Mailstop 354695
School of Public Health and Community Medicine
University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98115

Personal Financial Analyst
Primerica division of Citigroup, Inc.
VoiceTell: 206-213-7430

E-Mail: me2 at u.washington.edu
****************************************
"Why are we now traveling into space? Why, indeed, did we trouble to look
past the next mountain? Our prime obligation to ourselves is to make the
unknown known. We are on a journey to keep an appointment with whatever
we are."_____Gene Roddenberry

On Sun, 20 Aug 2000 SCRBJAY at aol.com wrote:

> Tweeters,
>
> Is it just me? (don't answer that) Or are there signs of an early fall? I've
> had a couple (a family?) of RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH at my feeders the last few
> days and yesterday and today I had at least 1 juvenile GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW
> at the feeders. My records show the GOLDEN-CROWN early by a month and a half
> or so. Also I have more BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES than usual.
>
> Anyone else have signs of an early migration?
>
> Phil Kelley
> Lacey, WA
> scrbjay at aol.com
> (360) 459-1499
>
> "We were few and they were plenty. Now we are plenty and they are few"
> Confucius
>