Hey tweets, The Bullock's orioles are still at it at the Fill. I think a
pair of adults is feeding one youngster, though it's a bit hard to tell
exactly how many females/juveniles are present. They are flitting among the
cottonwoods near the picnic tables and the grove of trees just to the
southwest of the eastern entrance to Wahkiakum Trail. We got our best looks
when the male flew down to the red-hot poker in the garden. He seemed to
like the nectar and flowers of that plant, which is a good thing because
there are still lots of red-hot pokers in bloom but the berries he was
feeding on last week are pretty much gone. By the way, the orange of those
flowers is no brighter than the orange of the bird. Both look positively
tropical and outrageously out of place in rain-gray Seattle. I challenge
any of you to look at this scene without smiling in pure joy.

The towhees that live in the bushes by the wedding rock and in the circular
grove of trees mentioned above have had another successful year. One of
their babies was hopping around near the wedding rock today, youthfully
oblivious to the fact that towhees, like marsh wrens, are supposed to be
heard but not seen.

Speaking of which, I finally caught a glimpse of the marsh wren who sings
so loudly on Cinnamon Teal Pond (the pond nearest to the point, by the dead
beaver trees). He starts up whenever anyone comes close, but he has been
frustratingly hard to see. Today, though, I caught him head-on in my
binocs, frozen in mid-call, looking like a reduced version of a bittern. It
was very funny.

The cedar waxwings are still abundant everywhere at the Fill, but one of
their favorite spots is Shoveler Pond. They have been hovering over the
marsh grass there and diving down to catch bugs.

Oh bugs. Yes, well, the bugs that the Urban Hort introduced to manage the
purple loosestrife are indeed doing their job. Although I saw a ton of
loosestrife plants, I saw only two blooming. In previous years, I would
have been whipping you all up into a frenzy by now, so that we could all
troop down and pluck loosestrife. I tell myself to be grateful to the bugs,
because the truth is, loosestrife plucking was never my favorite activity,
no matter how big a smile I kept plastered on my face. On the other hand, I
can't say that I enjoyed strolling down to the edge of the main pond
yesterday and picking up dozens and dozens of bugs on my clothing, even
inside my socks. Remember the expression on Humphrey Bogart's face when he
climbs out of the water after pulling the African Queen through the marsh,
and he discovers he's covered with leeches? Yes.

Lastly, a few warblers came out after the rain stopped in mid-morning. I
saw an orange-crowned and a common yellowthroat. Quite a few hummingbirds,
too. The violet-green swallows were coming through in great numbers, and a
few Vaux's swifts were present also. A wonderful day. - Connie, Seattle

csidles at mail.isomedia.com