This morning, in a feeble attempt to avoid working outside in the rain (again) , I checked out the ponds that Steve Mlodinow posted about on 6/9. As he said ,it's the road that crosses I-5 just before the Langus Park turnoff, on Smith Island.(12th st. NE ).

Good duck weather. Spotted two bright female WILSON,S PHALAROPES on the first pond, later joined by a single male. Along with them a single LESSER YELLOWLEGS. Many BLUE-WINGED TEAL, quite a few CINNIMON TEAL, a number of SHOVELER'S, GADWALL'S, and MALLARD'S (with young).

Along with the Phalarope's ( hav'nt seen one for years - I don't get out enough) the coolest thing was seeing a STRIPED SKUNK out in broad daylight (this about 11 am). I noticed a waving tail along the road as I pulled up to the ponds, assuming it was a Raccoon. Nope, a skunk - which I've never seen in daylight. The last one I've seen in Washington was at deep dusk at Conconully , more than 35 years ago. A good day today, and I can relate to the skunk who was soaking wet ,as I have been working outside this spring.

As an aside to Skunk lover's: there was a Skunk thread in tweeters earlier in the year concerning Spotted Skunks. I attended a Everett city Planning commission mtg. back in march dealing with city property near the Lowell area that had to do with how to deal with city property on the nearby floodplain. I went because I was interested in an area of Sitka Spruce that I thought should be preserved, that habitat being pretty scarce in Puget Sound country. It turn's out that it is private property, not city property as I'd thought. However ,one Dr. Alexander got up to testify at the hearing. He owns a chunk of that spruce patch. He described how in his youth ( he's an elderly man) how, he ran traplines in the area and trapped a number ( pretty big number ) of muskrats, mink, and ' civet cats' ,("or skunks" , as he qualified) . There are further hearings coming up so maybe I can ask him if they were spotted skunks or striped.

In further Everett bird news- BULLOCK'S ORIOLE'S are still present at the Everett Arboretum and Gardens, at Legion Park. They've been there since 6/2. I assume they're breeding as a pair was there this time last year.

Thanks to Steve Mlodinow for the phalarope tip.

Jeff Gibson , Everett WA.