Hello,

I would sure be interested to know about this odd duck at the fill. I
assumed it was a hybrid. I spend several hours at the Fill each week and am
especially interested in any news about what's happening there. Last week,
I watched for ten plus minutes as a green heron sat on a very exposed
branch about fifteen feet off the ground and called out. Seemed like pretty
unusual behavior for a bird I think of as kind of retiring. Yesterday, the
hybrid flicker was out with his family. His son's crown is an interesting
shade of taupe and his mustache has just a trace of black, but there was no
sign of dad's (partial) red collar. I would also like to know if there are
any rails hanging around the Fill this year. I haven't heard any. I'm
really surprised by what seems to me to be a decline in the numbers of marsh
wren, bitterns, etc., over the last couple of years. Are the nutria eating
the cattails? Perhaps I'm just looking in the wrong places.

On another note, I'm interested to learn if all went well with the FedEx
falcon . It was certainly dramatic footage, and I'm am appreciative for the
posting.

Thanks,
Deb Scott