Hi all -
Following up on Michael Hobbs' report from yesterday, I spent the
morning down at the mouth of the Cedar river looking at grebes.
Eventually, all 6 species made an encore appearance! The EARED GREBE
was a very well-marked individual, with lots of black down the
cheeks, dark on the throat and a pointy head. It stayed pretty close
to the pier all morning. The CLARK'S GREBE, on the otherhand, took
more work -- eventually, I found it -- way way north on the lake
getting close to Mercer Island. In the first views, before the rain
started, there was enough light to really let the bill stand out.
Later, in the drizzle, the color was much less noticeable. You could
still see ligher flanks & white around the lores, and the bill did
look less dingy than the other Westerns, but it wasn't as obvious. As
a final, surprising field mark, I watched it once beat its wings a
few times and noted the striking clear white through most of the
primaries & all the secondaries. When Westerns flapped, their
wing-patches looked much greyer. I see this noted in Sibleys, but had
never heard it discussed as a field mark before - perhaps because
flying Western & Clarks are pretty rare.

Anyway, I headed down to Kent in the afternoon, and as already
reported by Ed Newbold, the ICELAND GULL was present at 59th & 212th,
in the usual field. It was there as late as 3:00.

Finally, I got my year look at the SAYS PHOEBE that has been
intermittently seen at Boeing Ponds. It was on the north edge of the
ponds, actively flycatching. This came after spending the better part
of an hour looking for it along 68th & 199th, near the tennis court
building, where a 5th-hand report had rumoured it liked to hang out.

All in all, a good, if [as ever] soggy day of birding,

Matt Bartels
Seattle, WA

--