My family has been building a pond with waterfall in the front yard - it
started as a project between my daughter and her former boyfriend, and I
predicted at the time that all I'd end up with is $1000 worth of parts in
the garage and a hole in the ground, and that's pretty much it. But my wife
has (after a year) taken up the work, and last week she got the thing
operational.

The first bird attracted to the running water was a nice male SLATE-COLORED
JUNCO (on 10/4), and yesterday, I had my first-ever-in-our-yard FOX SPARROW
checking it out as well.

Juncos and Ruby-crowned Kinglets are, so far, the species most interested in
the water.

== Michael Hobbs
== Kirkland, WA
== http://www.marymoor.org/birding.htm
== birdmarymoor at verizon.net

----- Original Message -----
From: <vickibiltz at comcast.net>
To: "tweetersmail" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Monday, October 09, 2006 10:36 AM
Subject: [Tweeters] Slate Colored Junco shows up today


> Hi,
> Although the Slate Colored Junco is JUST a sub-species of the Dark Eyed
> Junco, it has shown up again, and seems to be early for my yard. Last
> year after really studying the feathering and such, and thinking the Slate
> Colored was a young bird, (I do such things on occasion!) this one is an
> adult.
> Pretty little thing!
> Fox Sparrows have shown up nearby, but don't have one in my yard yet.
> On Cedar Waxwings, someone emailed and asked about them, I do get them but
> usually a fly-over, although the crab apples, and such should be ready
> soon. That's what they come into the yard for. The Mountain Ash and
> Hawthornes are still filled with fruit, so when the time comes, everything
> will be gone in a few days! I have let the Madrone (Madrona???) grow, so
> someday I will have that for the Waxwings as well. Plus I have a brand new
> crab apple in the front.
>
> I guess the Bird from Columbia that I posted is a subspecies, but it is
> beautiful whether it is or not.
> Vicki Biltz
> Bonney Lake Wa
> vickibiltz at comcast.net
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