Tweeters:

Over this last weekend, working in the yard over the hours, I had occasion
to encounter a few migrant songbirds. Saturday, April 17, was the better
day. Most exciting, and completely unexpected, was an ad. SWAMP SPARROW
that turned up off at southeast corner. I was animated just beforehand by
the appearance of a LINCOLN'S SPARROW, which we've only had one other time,
when I heard the telltale chip--I began pishing and suddenly the agitated
SWAMP SPARROW jumped up so close that I could see its flaring rusty crown
from about 20 feet! This was a very crisp breeding-plum. adult, more
striking than the drabber first-years we usually see around in winter. The
site here is a dense thicket of 3'-5' Red Alder (Alnus rubra) in a
regenerating cutover field along the edge of mixed forest--no water around,
not exactly what one usually associates with Swamp Sparrow. Still, this
species, like Lincoln's, vists forest edge in migration, I just don't
remember anyone reporting one from such habitat here in WA.

Otherwise, at dusk last night, I distinctly heard the soft "whit" note of
SWAINSON'S THRUSH twice along our entry road, my earliest arrival here by
two days.

MIGRANTS NORTH LAKE STEVENS 4/17

SWAINSON'S THRUSH 1 (4/18 heard only)
Orange-cr. Warbler 2
Black-throated Gray Warbler 2
Townsend's Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 2
warbler, sp. 1 (low and hollow chip, either Yellowthroat or early Mac)
LINCOLN'S SPARROW 1
SWAMP SPARROW 1

Scott Atkinson
Lake Stevens
mail to: scottratkinson at hotmail.com

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