We saw one Barn Swallow today, Jan. 14, on the Snohomish Flats near the
traditional gyr' spot.


Bob Sundstrom

**Note new email address**
ixoreus at scattercreek.com
Tenino, WA

----- Original Message -----
From: "Netta Smith" <nettasmith at attbi.com>
To: <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Sunday, January 13, 2002 8:52 PM
Subject: BARN SWALLOWS in Everett


> Hi, tweeters.
>
> Spent 2 hours walking around the N end of Spencer Island this afternoon
> (1/13/02). Pretty dead for passerines, and we only saw/heard 35 species,
> but two were of interest. On the E side well north of the cross dike
there
> was a flock of finches, about 70 birds - about 40 Common Redpolls and 30
> Pine Siskins. Many of them dropped down into the shrubbery right in front
of
> us, so we got wonderful looks at the redpolls, perhaps the best I've ever
> had outside the Arctic. These birds should have been a bit farther north,
> but then we saw some other birds that should have been *much* farther
south.
> A flock of 15 BARN SWALLOWS was feeding over the water at the north end,
and
> I got to count them and look at every bird in the flock when they all
> wheeled over us a bit later on the W side. Is this global warming or just
> confused swallows? It's hard to believe there are enough flying insects
> around to support these birds, yet there they were. The only insect I saw
> was one small fungus gnat, but I assume the swallows have much better eyes
> for their diet than I do, just as I probably notice Thai restaurants more
> readily than the swallows do.
>
> Dennis Paulson
> --
> Netta Smith and Dennis Paulson
> 1724 NE 98 St.
> Seattle, WA 98115