Hey tweets, Long time, no write. I've been busy with work, so I haven't had
a chance to fill you in on Fill happenings of late. My apologies. Today,
though, I stole time (I'm so far past "making time" that now I have to
commit a theft to get any time for birding).

Here are some field notes:
Thank God someone had the get up and go to make the yarn around the "art
tree" get up and go. The way I heard tell, an artist (I suppose along the
lines of that guy who is hanging yellow cloth around Central Park and has a
one-name moniker like Cher only he's a lot less musical) decided to enhance
the beauty of one of the trees in the cottonwood grove near the east
entrance of the Fill. So he wrapped colored yarn around the tree trunk and
branches in a rainbow pattern. I talked to one of the Urban Hort gardeners
about this, and he told me that the artist had promised to take the art
down after a while, and in the meantime, the yarn was stretchable so it
wouldn't hurt the tree. That was what? A year ago? Anyway, some kind soul
finally freed the tree.

The largest of the dead beaver trees (otherwise known as snags) at the
point fell down in that really big windstorm we had a few weeks ago. The
raptors have not found another perch to their liking, so that's a downside.
On the other hand, the fallen tree makes a great bench at the point, so
that's a bit of a plus. I wish we could start a fundraiser to build a stone
bench in that area, or maybe to lay down some large, flat boulders. The
point is one of the most peaceful places at the Fill, and it's a lot of fun
to just sit there and be quiet, waiting for whatever Nature decides to
send. In the summer, I sit on the bank, but in the winter, it's too muddy.

Anyway, on the bay today were American wigeons, lesser scaup, ring-necked
ducks, bufflehead, Am. coots, pied-billed grebes, two eagles flying
overhead and assorted double-crested cormorants. The red-winged blackbirds
were chortling up a storm, and marsh wrens were calling in the cattails.
Oregon juncos were plentiful (unusual for the Fill). Earlier in the week,
there was a common merganser on the bay and several pairs of hooded
mergansers.

Elsewhere, the Anna's hummingbird is being challenged to defend his
territory near the wedding rock. He was foofing out his helmet today like
crazy, and buzzing and buzzing. The spotted towhees were scurrying around
under the bushes, and the bushes themselves were alive with yellow-rumped
warblers, Oregon juncos, American goldfinches, white-crowned sparrows and
black-capped chickadees. Don't you just love it when there is so much bird
activity that you can't decide where to look first? In one area the size of
a small bedroom, I counted ten different species. Among them wee two
red-tailed hawks circling overhead - I think it's the same pair that tried
to nest last year but were finally harassed too much by the crows.

On the main pond, some lovely ruddy ducks were just beginning to let their
bills turn blue.

Everyone seemed chirked up by the sun, and then whoosh, the clouds blew in
and the rain poured down. I think I heard the rattle of some hail. John and
I hurried back to the car, having found 30 species in about 45 minutes.
Spring is definitely on the way. - Connie, Seattle

csidles at isomedia.com