Today was an interesting day in Edmonds, I suspect?made so by the cold weather.?? Nothing special was at the Willow Creek fish hatchery although yesterday I did see a red-breasted sapsucker.?? The?lack of sunlight?down by the creek and?the bird's?furious jack hammering made it very tricky to photograph.

No eagles were visible in the trees by Sunset Ave, but it ?was very interesting none the less.? I saw my first Brant since last spring as a flock of about 10-12 flew?north.??? I believe they are late arriving in Edmonds this?autumn.???? A group of around?eight American widgeons were floating?in the Sound near the shore while?five killdeer were?foraging in?the front yard of a home on the east side of Sunset Ave.? ?I am inclined to believe that the combination of high tide and frozen ponds accounted for the presence of these birds where I usually do not see them.

The Edmonds marsh is nearly frozen over.?? When my son and I arrived about? 3:15pm, the marsh was empty.? Not even?the sentinel herons were?visible.??????Two or three crows flew in and called for reinforcements.???I photographed a flock (murder?) of 20-25 of Edmonds' unoffical city bird walking?across the?ice.????One found a small patch of open water and began bathing itself.??? I burned?through a lot of electrons photograhing the flock having?their holiday on ice.?? With?cropping, the photos look like they were taken on the tundra.
Bill Anderson; Edmonds, WA.