Hi Tweeters,

I walked around the UBNA/Fill between cloudbursts this a.m. and saw 4 things that really got my attention:

1) a thick cloud of flies shape-shifting in the air over, and somehow anchored to, a tree (eucalyptus?) just south of the trail as it passes south of the main pond. It looked like a miniature version of the famous starling videos or like smoke wafting up from the treetop. The swallows were ignoring it. I guess they had plenty to eat over the meadows.

2) 4 pied-billed grebe younguns on the west pond. Starting to get brownish-grey plumage on their bodies, but their heads are still black and white patterned with red accent. Three of them crossed the pond noisily, peeping all the way, and a 4th stayed in the middle, preening.

3) Cowbirds. Is this a bumper year or something? One was hanging out with what must've been its young redwing blackbird "siblings"--2 of them--preening in a low snag by the west pond. On the path just north of there, an assortment of sparrows and finches were foraging on the trail. Among them I spotted 3 or maybe 4 cowbird young! I am not 100% sure about this, but I've seen enough lately that I was fairly sure.

4) The Talaris eaglets: when I arrived I couldn't find the nest or the babes, but when I returned to my car, one eaglet was sitting out in plain view peeping loudly and the other was hidden nearby, also calling. An adult eagle was sitting on a low tree by the lake.Brenda BurnettSeattlebeaknbird at hotmail dot com
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