Hey tweets, Just got back from my bird walk with the Tahoma (not Gig
Harbor!) Audubon. I'm telling you, you all should tag along when this group
comes up here the next time. They are shot with luck. We came upon a
warbler tree at the southeast end of the field directly south of the Urban
Hort building. When I say warbler tree, I mean a tree so stuffed with
warblers that no one could point out a bird to another birder - there were
too many for us to give directions for. I mean, when you say a bird is at 3
o'clock and there are five birds at 3 o'clock, what can you do? Usually
when a tree is this packed with poultry, it's bushtits or chickadees. But
today it was orange-crowned and yellow warblers, plus western wood-pewees
and a downy woodpecker.

Also on view: a sora on Union Bay (again), a flock of 5 wood ducks (one
male in spectacular breeding plummage, and one juvenile male trying his
best to get to that point but junior wasn't cutting it yet), a flock of
ring-necked ducks (just in today; haven't seen them before), several Anna's
hummingbirds, a very large flock of Vaux's swifts (more on that later),
several common yellowthroats down by the main pond, and a red-eyed vireo (I
didn't see this one) on Union Bay. The dowitcher and pectorals are still in
the area, but they flew off as our group approached, and I think I was the
only one to see them.

After leaving the Fill, we hit the Tom Lord Nature Trail behind Villa
Academy and saw a *lot* more warblers and vireos, plus olive-sided
flycatchers and band-tailed pigeons. Altogether, we saw more than 40
species today.

FYI, this evening, I'm going to be out looking at the chimney of St.
Stephen's Church, to see if the Vaux's swifts go in here again this year,
as they usually do during migration. The flock of swifts we saw at the Fill
today was so large (and we saw more swifts at the Villa), that I'm sure
it's a migratory flock. I'll be out in my yard at dusk, checking to see if
the swifts are swirling in a cyclone around Laurelhurst Park. If they are,
I know they'll use the chimney for their nightly roost. If you'd like to
see this phenomenon of nature, come by at dusk and check it out. The
chimney is on the south side of the church. It's hard to see from the
street, because it's obscured by trees. But you can get a good view from
the park across the street. Mind you, I haven't seen the flock dive in this
year, but I think tonight is the night. Call me if you want details:
206-522-7513. - Connie, Seattle

csidles at isomedia.com