Hey tweets, Fall at the Fill is a unique time, not to be missed. The
sunlight turns soft around the edges, haze covers fields up to knee height
but burns off quickly, the tall grass (the little bit left unmowed by
diligent Urban Hort workers with big 'ol tractors) waves gently in the
breeze, the flow of people seems to slow and sometimes stop altogether, and
the birds change places in a succession of species that vary from one day to
the next. You never know what will turn up at this time of year.

This morning, for example, the swallows that nested at the Fill are gone,
except for the barn swallows. Four days ago, I noticed large numbers of
cliff swallows clustered on the little snags on the main pond, but I didn't
think too much about it until I saw no cliff swallows whatsoever the next
day. To me, swallows define summer, so when they head south, I know the end
of summer is upon me, thank goodness. Today, the cliff swallows are again
present, but they must be cliffs from farther north. The same with tree
swallows and violet-greens. From now until late fall, we'll see waves of
swallows come through. On some days, the Fill will be packed with them; on
others, completely empty.

The ducks will start to change places soon, too. The teals will be heading
out; can the buffleheads be far behind? Okay, I know I'll have to wait until
November before the buffleheads arrive, but a girl can dream, can't she?
Most of the summer ducks are now in eclipse, but they seem to be done
molting enough to show their faces again. A few late bloomers are still
minding babies, such as the gadwall mom I saw today with five ducklings. The
wood ducks are ready for public show again, too - you can see two or three
on Union Bay in the afternoons, but you have to look sharp to discern them
among the lily pads.

Shorebirds continue to migrate through. This morning, Stuart MacKay said he
saw six or eight least sandpipers and yesterday a yellowlegs. By the time I
showed up, only two leasts were still on the pond, but they were in perfect
light and let me get quite close. That's one of the chief attractions about
the Fill; for some reason, the birds let you come almost right yp to them.

The bushtits are flocking back together again. I saw one massive flock this
morning, numbering some 40 birds. They were so loud, I thought they were
cedar waxwings, which are also present. But then I saw the bushtits flitting
from bush to bush near the wedding rock. There were so many I didn't know
where to look at first, and they didn't mind me at all. In fact, one headed
for the brim of my hat before he realized there was a person under it. He
sheared off at the last minute and looked highly displeased, taking a minute
to scold me for pretending to be a bush. Below is a complete list of what I
found today:

pied-billed grebe
great blue heron
Canada goose
mallard
gadwall
wood duck
killdeer
least sandpiper
glaucous-winged gull
Vaux's swift
Anna's hummingbird
rufous hummingbird
downy woodpecker
northern flicker
American crow
tree swallow
violet-green swallow
cliff swallow
barn swallow
black-capped chickadee
Bewick's wren
marsh wren
American robin
cedar waxwing
common yellowthroat
spotted towhee
savannah sparrow
song sparrow
white-crowned sparrow
red-winged blackbird
brown-headed cowbird
house finch
American goldfinch
house sparrow - Connie, Seattle

csidles at isomedia.com