Spring signs:

Although I yearn to weigh in on the Magnuson Park sightings debate, I'll try
to avoid expending any more Tweeters political capital by sticking to the
less controversial signs of spring and happier themes. It's definitely the
February dulldrums here in Lake Stevens, but I had a "behavioral highlight"
yesterday. Our HERMIT THRUSH offered a few phrases from its ethereal song
at dawn, I had never heard the species sing in our range during winter
previously. We've really enjoyed this bird, since it has frequented many
parts of our yard since late Nov. and once even alit on our back deck, a few
feet from our family-room window. The whole family got to see it, not even
needing binocs. I'm reminded of SWINHOE'S (RED-TAILED) ROBIN, a slightly
smaller thrush of East Asia, with very similar sudden movements, generally
dark-brown plumage above and with a rusty tail, and occupying much the same
habitat as our thrush, but having a very different song.

AM. ROBINS have moved in (they are pretty much absent in Dec-Jan here) and
are exhibiting some territoriality, but I have not heard a song yet.
HUTTON'S VIREOS are also not yet in song but should be any day; BEWICK'S and
WINTER WRENS, along with SONG SPARROWS, have been in song recently, as
others have reported. The latter two, however, sometimes sing during CBC
season.

Videobirding highlight: close to the opening scene in Jurassic Park III,
one can clearly hear a FIELD SPARROW singing from the dinosaur-dig site near
Fort Peck Lake, MT. This species is pretty local in eastern MT and near the
n.w. limit of its range.

Skagit WMA Sunday morn: not to make excuses but I only had an hour (8-9 am)
and found little compared to others' good luck up there of late. There were
five COMMON REDPOLLS (Skagit County hasn't had an invasion like this in many
years) and two YELLOW-RUMPS (looked Myrtle-ish) right from the parking area
for the boat launch, and a quite rufous-backed WHITE-THROATED SPARROW (this
not where I've usually found them, an edge accessed by crossing a bridge in
the n.w. section of the loop trail). Sparrows seem way down at the Skagit
WMA this winter; I guess some must have chosen the Ladner, BC area to the
north instead (check out their CBC in birdsource.org--152 species and
astounding totals for sparrows!!!).

Scott Atkinson
Lake Stevens
email: scottratkinson at hotmail.com



>From: Diann MacRae <tvulture at vei.net>
>Reply-To: tvulture at vei.net
>To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
>Subject: Re: signs of spring
>Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 12:35:53 -0800
>
>Hi, Tweets
>
>Nothing unusual here at the "top" of Bothell, but wanted to say that
>starting, for the most part, last week, there has been a continual lusty
>chorus of varied thrushes, house finch, winter wren and, to a lesser
>degree, juncos and an occasional robin. It's heavily wooded here, so I tend
>to have loads of varieds with just a sprinkling of robins through the
>winter.
>
>I've also spotted a very handsome male Townsend's warbler off and on for
>about two weeks. Ann van der Geld, who lives in Kenmore, also has had a
>male Townsends for a couple weeks.
>
>Don't forget, vultures start arriving this month!!
>
>Cheers, Diann
>


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