A friend invited me to kayak toward the Fill from Laurelhurst today, so I took my binocs along. It was quiet in Union Bay with ducks and geese mostly, a few pied-billed grebes, lots of swallows. As we approached the Laurelhurst beach club on our return (about 1:30), a shorebird type bird appeared, flitted around our boats a bit, and then plunked down in the water about 30 feet in front of us. We got as close as 15 feet and saw...voila! A red-necked phalarope! It took off and landed near us again (and again), getting within about 10 feet at one point. Perhaps it was curious about us.

After our return and lunch, I went to see the pair at the Fill, and they obliged by busily bug-catching around the north end of the main pond. The one I saw in Lake Washington was paler than the paler one of this pair. I wonder if it was a juvenile.

Other UBNA sights:
- a tiny garter snake crossed the path in front of me.
- several very young pied-billed grebes were out in the wilting vegetation off the south edge of land--sounded like a dozen but I saw only 3, very well camouflaged but too noisy to hide.

Does anyone know what is making the cricket-like sounds around the fill? Crickets?


Brenda Burnett

Seattle

beaknbird at hotmail dot com



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