One of the best presents I got for Christmas this year was a window-mounted
bird feeder; and while I have yet to see anyone actually use it, I went
outside yesterday morning and was greeted by at least three GOLDEN-CROWNED
KINGLETS, a female TOWNSEND'S WARBLER, and a pair of SONG SPARROWS--all three
new additions to my yard list!

Shortly thereafter I took a jaunt down to "the gully", one of our local
water-filled, wooded glacial depressions. In addition to BLACK-CAPPED and
CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES; hordes of KINGLETS (both rubies and goldens);
SONG SPARROWS; SPOTTED TOWHEES; WINTER and BEWICK'S WRENS; a couple of small
RAPTORS I couldn't identify; a small, very far-off, black-backed WOODPECKER
of some sort; two MALLARDS; RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES (heard); AMERICAN CROWS;
AMERICAN ROBINS; EUROPEAN STARLINGS; HOUSE SPARROWS; STELLER'S JAYS; and our
increasingly visible WESTERN SCRUB JAY, I identified my first BROWN CREEPER.

Later,

Nick Pharris
Olympia, WA
mailto: NJPharris at aol.com