Subject: [Tweeters] Chipping sparrows at the Fill
Date: Jul 24 15:25:18 2007
From: Constance Sidles - csidles at isomedia.com


Hey tweets, fall is turning out to be a great migration this time at
the Fill. I've seen more dowitchers this year than I have in the past
five years, at least. Today, I discovered where the little guys are
hanging out when they're not on the main pond. I saw bunches of them on
little mud islands in the slough that borders the south end of the
Fill. There were one or two dowitchers (mostly short-billed today) on
nearly every little mud island. I also saw a Least Sandpiper on one of
the mud islands in the slough on the west side of the Fill. I have long
suspected that shorebirds hang out somewhere on the water during
migration. I thought it was the lily pads that grow flush to the
cattails along the slough, and that may be true. But now I know they
also like the tiniest patches of mud. One disgruntled-looking
dowitcher had to share its mud island with a sleeping mallard. There
really wasn't room for both, so the dowitcher kept trying to shove the
mallard off by bumping against it, but the mallard never even opened
its eyes. I guess the dowitcher didn't quite dare to poke the duck with
its bill, though I'm sure that would have woken up the duck. The whole
thing reminded me of the struggles I have to get a share of blanket
from my husband on cold nights. I don't really want to yoink hard
enough to wake him up, but I do wish he would roll over or something
and let me grab some blanket for myself. The dowitcher looked like it
was wishing the same thing. If dowitchers could look exasperated, this
one did.

Despite the show the dowitchers were putting on, the best birds of the
day were three CHIPPING SPARROWS. They were perched on a little bush at
the southeast end of Shoveler Pond (which is no longer a pond). There
is a clump of various plants around here that is attracting a goodly
number of goldfinches and other sparrows, and I think that it might
have attracted the Chipping Sparrows, too. Chipping Sparrows are very
uncommon at the Fill, and I have never before seen three at once.

Another really good bird today was a NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW
swooping over Union Bay. Along with numerous BARN, CLIFF, and
VIOLET-GREEN swallows, it joined a lone TREE SWALLOW to give me a
five-swallow day.

Also of note, the GREEN HERONS seem to have done exceptionally well
this year. There are two adults that are hanging out in the secluded
pond just south of the dime parking lot, and today I saw a juvenile
GREEN HERON there, too. If you're patient and still, you're sure to see
one of these three emerging from the shrubbery and clinging to the many
fallen snags that ring that pond. Look especially closely at the pond
edges amongst all the sticks - the herons blend in exceedingly well and
can be hard to see, but they're there.

Yesterday, there was a Northern Harrier and a juvenile Peregrine.

Altogether today, I saw 41 species:
Pied-billed Grebe
Great Blue Heron
Green Heron
Canada Goose
Mallard
Gadwall
Cinnamon Teal
Wood Duck
American Coot
Killdeer
Long-billed Dowitcher
Short-billed Dowitcher
Least Sandpiper
Glaucous-winged Gull
Ring-necked Pheasant
Rock Pigeon
Vaux's Swift
Anna's Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Bewick's Wren
Marsh Wren
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
European Starling
Common Yellowthroat
Song Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
American Goldfinch
House Finch - Connie, Seattle

csidles at isomedia.com