Subject: On the Duwamish - 7/25/03
Date: Jul 28 12:45:25 2003
From: Desilvis, Denis J - denis.j.desilvis at boeing.com


Tweets,
Whew! My 11:30-noon scan was warm, even with a nice northerly breeze. It appeared the tide had turned to incoming, but hadn't been that way for long. The adult OSPREYS at Turning Basin #3 were both at the nest, with the female tearing apart prey and feeding bits to what appears to be the younger of the two siblings. When the adults left (both flew off upriver), the older of the two got up, went to the northwest edge of the nest, and stretched its wings a few times. Fledging can't be too far away. After the adults left at 11:42, one flew back to the nest with a small fish just after noon. I saw the older of the two siblings begging for food, but the adult started preening, not feeding. Poor tyke was being ignored!

It's interesting for me to watch the ROCK DOVES feeding on the mudbanks because I don't usually associate these imports with that behavior. I'd not mentioned it before, but if the tide is out any degree at all, many of the Rock Doves I see are feeding on the drier parts of the bank.

Not too much else around here at high noon:

Canada Goose (6)
Mallard (17)
Osprey (4)
Glaucous-Winged Gull (6, including one really ratty-looking juv.)
Rock Dove (9)
American Crow
Bewick's Wren
Marsh Wren (heard; across the river)
European Starling
House Finch

May all your birds be identified,

Denis DeSilvis
Seattle, WA
denis.j.desilvis at boeing.com