Tweeters:

Early Saturday (3/11) I had a LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE off the n.e. corner of the
Everett STP, perched first atop a Doug-Fir and then dropping down to lower
perches over the marshy area. This area can be accessed via the paved trail
that runs north opposite the trail running north on Spencer I. I was first
alerted to the bird by the repeated, high-pitched notes high up and then
(more familiar to me) the harsh "shack, shack" calls. All the details for
Loggerhead were well seen over about a 10-min. viewing before I left.
Although juv.-plumaged birds are apparently not supposed to show until
April, this bird was in fact an obvious bird of the year, among other
features it had a white throat that contrasted sharply with gray breast and
tidy black mask. When the bird faced me I could see black feathering just
above the bill, among other field marks for LS.

I continued down south down the paved trail that parallels the sewage ponds
from the east, in the direction of the Spencer I bridge. I had an ad. SWAMP
SPARROW at the traditional site off the sewage pond side of the trail, about
250 yds south of the shrike spot. Somehow this bird was missed on the CBC
last Dec. I really had to pish for it before it started to call; then it
hopped out in the open down around some marshy ground right below the trail.
Finally, more expected, there were 4 TREE SWALLOWS here also, but I don't
know that I want to call them migrants as we had 6 on the CBC last Dec.

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