Well it was actually out on Lake Union, but I saw it from the Fill (aka Union Bay Natural Area or UBNA). I had gotten out there fairly early to try and see some of the wonderful stuff that Connie Sidles had reported yesterday.

Unfortunately, I struck out on all the good things Connie reported yesterday except the Orange-crowned Warblers. Couldn't miss their singing in the little glade east of the Center for Urban Horticulture.

The swan however, was a very unusal sighting any time at UBNA. Yes they are seen there at times, but it is rare and usually seems weather related. Last three times I have seen a swan it was either very foggy out, or snowing, like it was early this morning when the bird was on the water.

Now, I have 10x50 Eagle Optics and I'm a pretty good birder. The bird I saw looks like the drawing on page 72 in my Sibley's guide, a "1st Summer (Oct-Jul) Juvenile" Trumpeter Swan. It was too far away to see any color on the bill, but it certainly seemed to have the more 'Roman' nose than what the Tundra's usually represent - and all I could see was black. I couldn't discern a 'gap' that might have been yellow coloration or anything that you try to pick out at distance. The body color was mostly white with gray on the back as in that picture in Sibley's (which I had available at home - I had my Kaufmann's while in the field, but it was really wet with that snow/rain/sleet stuff that was coming down around 7:30ish). I felt pretty solid on Trumpeter this morning, and my additional study at home has me feeling very strongly that it was a Trumpeter Swan I saw this morning. Alas, is was not there when Connie and others showed up out there! I think after the weather let up
that it flew on north..

Shut out on shorebirds except Killdeer. I did get 6 sparrows again: Savannah, Song, White-crowned, Golden-crowned, Lincoln's and House. I have thoroughly struck out on the Swamp Sparrow that is there, five separate days with at least 7 sessions of 15-25 minutes of standing trying to see this one bird. I pretty much give up. Anyway, back to what I did see. There was a nice group of 8 Northern Pintails on the Central Pond early, and I saw them flying a couple of times as well - such beautiful, sleek ducks! When on the ground they always seem like elite athletes with that curl of color up their neck. Let's see...Black-capped Chickadee working on its nest hole on a snag; Bushtits nest-building; Northern Flickers and Downy Woodpeckers both drumming and displaying; Cedar Waxwings flying around exhorting me to "see, see" and I was doing my best to see everything! Virginia Rail high-stepping along a tussock to get out of the open and away from prying eyes and foul weather. Both
Myrtles and Audubons sub-species of Yellow-rumped Warbler were present and accounted for. Common Yellowthroats were seemingly everywhere, singing their circular sounding "whichety-whichety-whichety" songs, and I was pleased with my first good views of the year of a female Yellowthroat, and her coloration was so splendid and bright! Also nice to share the view with my friend Andrea Wuenschel who showed up!

We got a good chuckle watching the Violet-green and Barn Swallows flying around this morning. It looked like they were all holding their breath as they were zipping about. All these fat looking little "tank swallows" soaring here and there...it was really quite humorous. Our guess was that they were so cold flying around that they had their feathers all puffed, even in flight, which seems quite interesting. I am used to seeing birds puffed out when perched, but not while in flight. Still, these birds looked twice the girth of the normal swallows one sees zinging around.

All told, 53 species out there, plus a couple additions on the walk home through Ravenna and Cowen Parks. I was soo darn cold, I called ahead and had the Blue Onion Bistro get a plate of country-fried steak and eggs ready for me when I walked up. After that I passed out, thus the late post. Hope everyone else had good birding days too - no matter the weather, the birds are there. You just have to step out of the house and go find 'em!

Brett A. Wolfe
Seattle, WA
m_lincolnii at yahoo.com


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