Hey tweets, Yesterday was twice as good as usual at the Fill. Literally.
Everything seemed to come in twos. I saw two ospreys hunting fish (one
perched for quite a while on the dead beaver tree and didn't seem to mind
being looked at). I also saw two spectacular pileated woodpeckers fly
overhead, perch on the dead beaver tree, then circle back toward
Laurelhurst. It looks to me like they are a pair who have settled in
somewhere in our neighborhood. They gave the impression of a couple out for
a leisurely meal but not too far away from the kids. There are plenty of
possible sites, including the stand of evergreen trees at the Villa Academy
entrance, lots of trees on the Tom Lord Nature Trail behind the Villa, as
well as numerous trees on residential lots. As if all this weren't enough,
I also saw two juvenile towhees arguing with two Bewick's wrens near the
wedding rock. Also, a pair of common yellowthroats must have nested in
Cinnamon Teal Pond, because I see the male there often and the female more
rarely.

In other news, the huge flock of cliff swallows has moved on, to be
replaced by a somewhat smaller flock of barn swallows. All the tree
swallows seem to have left, but it was a good year for them. I saw more
nesting pairs than I ever have before.

It's also been an unusually good year for bushtits. They are now flocking
together into one megaflock that must have 30 or more individuals in it. If
you're patient, you will see them flitting like leaves blown in the wind
from one tree to another. - Connie, Seattle

csidles at mail.isomedia.com