Hey tweets, sometimes when you're forced to stay still, you see things
you would otherwise miss. Yesterday at the Fill, I was walking along
the path on the eastern side of the main pond when I noticed a raptor
snuggled down in the grass near the north end. It was the Northern
Harrier that I saw here back on July 30. I thought it might have caught
a rat and was too nervous to eat it while I was walking, so I sat down
on my camp stool to wait for it to finish its business and leave. I
waited and waited and waited, growing hotter and sweatier by the
minute. Meanwhile, the hawk seemed to be taking a siesta. No action
whatsoever. Finches and sparrows began to settle down mere inches from
its roost - they must have thought the hawk was dead. As for me, anyone
who was so clearly melting into a puddle as I was posed no threat, so
more and more finches dared to come down to the last patch of unmowed
weeds in that field.

This melange - the comatose hawk, the wilting Connie, and the busy
finches - continued as the sun marinated me relentlessly.

I began to mutter to the hawk, "Come on, come on, comeoncomeoncomeon,"
but the hawk paid no heed. Then I realized that my muttering was
keeping time with a bird call. It was a Red-breasted Nuthatch foraging
in the tall trees just north of the main pond. Nuthatches are very rare
at the Fill. Finding one in the midst of my incipient heatstroke
revived me enough so I could notice large numbers of swallows swooping
over the main pond. Swallow numbers have been down significantly over
the past couple of days, so it was nice to see so many again. Among the
mostly Barn Swallows were a few Cliffs, a couple of Violet-greens, and
a Bank! Meanwhile, a Wilson's Warbler turned up to hunt for insects
among the bushes lining the pond. The juvenile Common Yellowthroat that
must have hatched here showed up, too, along with three Northern
Flickers, a Bewick's Wren, an Anna's, and a young Song Sparrow. They
were all so entertaining that I forgot about the heat. When the hawk
finally rose to leave, I was sorry to see it go. I could have sat there
forever. - Connie, Seattle

constancesidles at gmail.com