Tonight from the Shilshole Bay public access beach, Kris Baker and I saw two pairs of purple martins at the pilings, as well as at least one nighthawk (seen and heard) and 20 Caspian terns (flying south). My expectation had been for just one pair of martins, so the second pair plus the nighthawk made for an especially notable evening. It appears that the martins may be using the northern-most nest box and one of the two gourds. We watched for at least 30 minutes as the martins flew from various potential nest spots among the many pilings.

Kris saw a rat approaching one of the dozens of geese on the beach, and quite a ruckus followed; two cats (Gabriel and Bubba) and five people were among the other organisms present, but the rat easily elicited the most vehement goose response.

The sunset was gorgeous!