Spencer very birdy; nothing unexpected

Hi all,

Delia and I got away late and went upwith Rick Droker to Spencer Island, just across I-5 from Everett., getting there at 5 pm, but birds were still very abundant and singing up a storem, although as usual there were very few homo sapiens. We went around the Langus Park trail to avoid the no trespassing fence guarding whatever they?re doing at the sewage station. We didn?t go far on Spencer, and didn?t go north at all to look for Eastern Kingbirds. The best moment was when Delia was telling Rick how she liked to do at least one thing every day that would involve living ?in the moment? and just then a Tree Swallow flew about 2 feet in front of us, catching the afternoon sun on its beautiful blue and white plumage as it zoomed by. Here?s the list:

1. Mallard
2. Gadwall
3. Canada Geese
4. Double Crested Cormorant
5. Coopers Hawk (one on Spencer, one on I5)
6. Red Tail (none on Spencer, 6 on the way up)
7. Great Blue Heron (many)
8. Bittern (seen a couple times & heard )
9. Killdeer
10. Spotted Sandpiper (one on Spencer, 2 on the Snohomish R.)
11. Glaucous Winged Gull
12. Caspian Tern (one bird)
13. Rock Pigeon
14. Band Tailed Pigeon (actually on I-5 on the way up)
15. Downy Woodpecker
16. Willow Flycatchers a few singing plus and un-Willow-looking empid that wasn?t singing
17. Western Wood Pewees maybe two birds singing
18. Black Capped Chickadee
19. Marsh Wren
20. Crow
21. Purple Martin (one bird, I?m flagging this for Kevin Li & Stan Kostka)
22. Violet Green Swallow
23. Tree Swallow
24. Barn Swallow
25. Cliff Swallow (The swallows put on a spectacular show, the Cliffs seem to be increasing in the wooden bridge nest sites that we remembered having more Barns last year.)
26. American Robin
27. Swainson?s Thrush (quite a few singing)
28. European Starling
29. Cedar Waxwing (abundant)

30. Yellow Warbler
31. Wilson?s Warbler
32. Yellowthroat
33. Black Headed Grosbeak (singing, making there presence known)
34. Spotted Towhee
35. Song Sparrow
36. American Goldfinch (underfoot
37. Red Winged Blackbird
38. Brown Headed Cowbird

Ed Newbold, Beacon Hill Seattle, newboldwildlife at netscape.net

PS. I?m very glad to see the discussion of Nighthawks. I agree with every post, this is one magnificent bird. I would hope any sightings make their way to tweeters. I admit I have no proof, and no data, but I see Corvids as the obvious culprit. Maybe there?s hope for the Nighthawk in clearcuts, where there isn?t a high Corvid density?I?m praying. I think we can worry about the Nighthawks even on the eastern slope of the Cascades now, they seem to be declining there really badly now. And I know this wouldn?t prove anything even if it?s true, but aren?t Magpies & Ravens on the move over there? Nighthawks used to do extremely well in Seattle and there were no Crows at all in Seattle until some time in the late 1940s?this was related to me by an old-timer. The Crows were just becoming the phenomenon that they are now when I got here in 1976, people would talk then about the high Crow densities as if they were something new. The last nighthawks tried to breed in Seattle about 1979 or 80. If it is Corvids, this bird is really headed for trouble because Corvids can?t be stopped, and people should be putting their heads together now to work on strategies to help the ?Common? Nighthawk.


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