Subject: Fill fill-in
Date: Sep 22 20:13:05 2002
From: Constance J. Sidles - csidles at mail.isomedia.com


Hey tweets, just to add to Stuart's report, I tore myself away from bidness
long enough to get to my favorite place on earth just at dusk tonight.
Luckily, the light is still lingering for a surprisingly long time, even
after the sun sets. Mount Rainier was magnificent, all magenta, blue and
gray - very dark magenta, unlike the usual sunset pinks. The clouds over
Lake Washington were spectacular tonight - they looked like Cloud City in
Star Wars, only realer.

A few Vaux's swifts were still flying around, as were a number of barn
swallows (but nothing like the 70-plus barn swallows I saw perched in the
little scrub-tree in the middle of the main pond two days ago. As we were
looking at the swifts, my husband and I flushed an American pipit in the
tall grass on the east side of the main pond. It dove down into deeper
grass a few yards away.

On Union Bay, we saw one wood duck, a little flock of ring-necked ducks,
one green-winged teal, several American wigeons, and huge numbers of
American coots. Also, tons of pied-billed grebes - this has been the best
year in my memory for them. We didn't see the blue-winged teals that Stuart
mentioned, nor the lone northern shoveler I saw there two days ago. Nor the
juvenile sora I've been seeing nearly every day. I wonder if it has
migrated? The other day, it was foraging openly out on the lily pads, and
it stopped to stretch and flap its little wings. I could not imagine how
those little stubs could elevate anything, let alone a plump sora. Maybe if
it flapped them very, very fast? What is known about sora migrations?

On another topic, I will be sending out thank-yous to the many tweeters who
responded to my plea for help for Micronesia. But I also want to thank
people publicly here. Your support and the notes many of you sent were
deeply touching. My son Alex called via military radiophone tonight (first
time I've heard from him in weeks). He said several island chiefs had
coordinated a group listen all up and down the outer islands. People wanted
to know how we were doing. I had to say that we have had no luck at all
moving government agencies. But I also told Alex (and the outer islanders)
that help was on the way. With the money that you and others gave, we
managed to buy 400 sacks of rice (each sack is about 40 pounds). That's one
sack per person. The rice is supposed to arrive today or tomorrow. Alex
almost cried with relief. He said it was the only help anyone has given,
and there would be celebrations on the islands tonight. I promised to wire
out another donation in early December, when this shipment of rice runs
out. So please go to bed tonight knowing that you have saved 400 grateful
souls.

As a side benefit for me personally, I have had the very great privilege of
knowing how caring you are. Thank you. - Connie, Seattle

csidles at isomedia.com