Subject: [Tweeters] Nice morning at the Montlake Fill
Date: Oct 17 12:37:55 2008
From: Evan Houston - evanghouston at yahoo.com


Hi Tweeters,

It was a nice morning at the Fill, with some nice fall color and a good amount of bird activity early despite some wind gusts, and even some song. The best places this morning seemed to be around the CUH, with Yellow-rumped Warblers flying everywhere in the bushes just to the S of the CUH, sparrows busy in the fenced off area to the SE of the CUH, and lots of passerines in the "Connie Sidles" glade E of the CUH. Among the 53 total species were the following highlights:

Winter Wren - at least 2, in the glade E of the CUH, with 1 singing, the first time I've seen this species at the Fill

Juveniles singing - by their wavering, unsteady, choppy songs, I think juveniles of the following species were singing: Golden-crowned Sparrow (1 1st winter bird in the fenced off area SE of the CUH, my first of the fall at the Fill), Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Marsh Wren, White-crowned Sparrow, and Song Sparrow.

Long-billed Dowitcher - 1 flew in, my only shorebird of the day at the Fill

Waterbirds - Many of the ducks are transitioning into or already in their showy breeding plumage. Some of the less common waterbirds at the Fill today were 1 Western Grebe on the lake, 1 Hooded Merganser on the main pond, and I missed them, but was told by another birder that Buffleheads are back at the Fill as well.

Good birding,

Evan Houston
Seattle, WA


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