Hey tweets, I've always suspected that luck plays a role in finding good
birds. How many times have I gone to a birdy spot to see little or nothing,
and shortly after, a luckier birder shows up and pulls out an owl or a
weird sparrow just that minute arriving from China. Of course, my husband
points out that some birders are always luckier than me, but that's just a
quibble.

All kidding aside, Linda Wakeman and I led a very lucky beginning birders'
walk around the Fill yesterday. Our first bit of good fortune came when the
ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD obligingly perched on his favored bush near the Wedding
Rock. It was cold and early in the morning, so he stayed put awhile and
spread out various feathers, catching the sunlight in a spectacular show.
Later another male appeared, and the two chased each other around, buzzing
loudly. Then a YELLOW-SHAFTED NORTHERN FLICKER landed in a nearby tree just
south of the Wedding Rock and posed in perfect light, spreading his tail
for us so there would be no doubt. Just in case we missed the comparison, a
RED-SHAFTED NORTHERN FLICKER flew in too.

In the grove of trees just to the west, a large flock of PINE SISKINS flew
in to feed among the branches. Also in the grove were a YELLOW-RUMPED
WARBLER, a few AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES, some DARK-EYED JUNCOS and a
RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET. Also heard, a large flock of STELLAR'S JAYS and a
WINTER WREN (unusual for the Fill). We were trying to show our beginners
how to distinguish the pine siskins from goldfinches and house finches when
our study was interrupted by a streak of attacking SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. The
hawk missed his prey, which scattered in all directions, and settled in a
tree to give us all a great look. That hawk, by the way, seems to have
claimed the Fill this winter - I see it nearly every time I go.

On Shoveler Pond were four of my favorite geese, dinky little CACKLING
CANADAS, hardly bigger than mallards. Our luck petered out a bit when we
got to the bay: the common and hooded mergansers I've been seeing out there
were gone, as were the wood ducks that live there too. We were beginning to
congeal from the cold,and the light was beginning to fade into an
approaching squall. One of our participants asked if there was someplace to
sit down (how about a collection to put in a couple of park benches?) but
then we saw a little flock of GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROWS feeding in the
brambles near the point. Since most of the brambles have been cleared out,
sparrows have become a bit scarce. So it was great to see these beauties.

We finished up the walk when Linda saw a falcon swooping in across the
ponds. We tracked it to the dead beaver trees on the point, and sure
enough, it was a gorgeously helmeted PEREGRINE FALCON. Altogether we saw
more than 30 species. How's that for 2 hours of birding at the Fill? -
Connie, Seattle

csidles at mail.isomedia.com