Subject: [Tweeters] Cut & Fill Saturday
Date: Dec 12 14:03:49 2009
From: Brett Wolfe - m_lincolnii at yahoo.com


Hiya tweets,

Got up early and decided to head out to the Union Bay Natural Area (aka Montlake Fill). I ride the bus and get off by the 520 and walk along the Montlake Cut - thus the Cut & Fill title of my walk.

The morning started off slow - there were a number of boaters and kayakers going through the Cut and not many different birds. As I got out to the dock at the point, I was able to spot some Common Mergansers and a pair of Lesser Scaup on the Arboretum side. I was watching a Pied-billed Grebe that popped up next to the dock when a Belted Kingfisher rattled his call out - a close inspection showed no belt, so it was definitely a male. At about the same time a Mew Gull flew by quite close - always love these small winter gulls.

As I walked down the road behind the UW football stadium, I picked up a pair of Hooded Mergansers, and then a trio of Green-winged Teal in a little dark spot foraging. The sound of Red-winged Blackbirds was starting to permiate the air, as were the calls of Downy Woodpeckers. There is a little side trail along that road and I spotted a likely accipter shape in a tree but had the sun on the wrong side. So I took a chance and walked the little trail directly under the bird and about 25 feet past so I could turn and see the bird with the sun in it's face instead of mine. What a lovely male Sharp-shinned Hawk it turned out to be! Also while I was out there, I surprised a Winter Wren that popped into a tuft of grass practically at my feet, thought beter of it and flew back across the trail to a little snowberry bush and then into some deeper shrubbery. Very cute little fellow.

As I made my way around the corner to head towards Conibear Shellhouse and the the Fill, I noted some fresh, major beaver damage to three trees (alder? birch?) across from Dempsey Indoor Arena - one of them is well over halfway through and barely standing. I did not, unfortunately, see the beavers.

Past the SHellhouse, I picked up some Fox Sparrows foraging in the leaves between the road and the ballfields. As I was about to cross the little Wahkiakum Trail bridge, I heard some rustling in the little creek on the far side of the road. I went to check it out. At first I thought it was just this one Song Sparrow, but then saw something ekse. I stepped around a bush for a better look and watched as a Wilson's Snipe ran about 25 feet in a little zig-zag along the ground to get behind some cover. It was only about 15 feet away when I first saw it, providing some of best naked eye views of this species ever.

As I got onto the main trail at the Fill, I wasn;t seeing or hearing very much outside of the high-pitched "whee-whee" of American Wigeon on the Bay. I made a fortunate turn at one point though to see an adult Red-tailed Hawk flying right towards me across the meadow. It dropped down about 40-50 yards away and I saw him doing the little 'wine-stomp' they sometimes do when they have something cornered and are trying to figure out how to grab it with their feet. Kind of fun to watch, but when this bird finally flew off unsatisfied a few minutes later, I was quite taken with the stunning color pattern of this bird. I have seen many RTHA's in my time, but this bird was a handsome dark brown with lots of reds, russets, and oranges in his feathers, as well as a couple of patches of buff and white, to go with bright yellow legs. This bird pretty much matched the Intermediate Adult in Sibley's Guide to Birds and was just a wonderful look at a very healthy
predator on the prowl.

I continued past the main pond and to the southeast corner. I don't know what the heck everyone else calls it these days, but I call the little pond under the cottonwoods "Bushtit Pond". Anyway, there were a pair of Western Meadowlarks there foraging along the ground - I say pair because one was very drab and the other had quite bright yellow and black markings. Fun birds to see here each winter the past few years..

I was able to pick up a Brown Creeper and some Golden-crowned Kinglets as I made my way to Surber Grove. Once there I added a Spotted Towhee. I also noted that I was hearing the "peek!" of Downy Woodpeckers everywhere today too! Every grove of trees in the area seemed to have one or two "peek!-ing" away. Very nice. I think DOWO's and Ruby-crowned Kinglets take the cake for birds found 'everywhere' I walked this morning.

As all good things must end, so did my morning walk. I backtracked my way back, past the Shellhouse (got a cute little Marsh Wren along the edge of the water there), and back to the Cut. It was in these last few hundred yards before I got back to the Montlake Bridge that I got my best bird of the day - a Red-breasted Sapsucker! Always a favorite bird, I had told someone earlier in the morning that due to the recent cold snap, this was the best time to see these birds in the city as they come down from the higher elevations to forage. A great way to end my bird watching morning.

All told I identified 45 species today. Most conspicuous absences from my day list were Canada Goose (seriously!) and Anna's Hummingbird. I seldom miss either of these two when I make this particular trek and their absense was definitely noted. Still, it was beatiful, brisk, late fall morning in the city, and a great day for the Cut & Fill walk. Cheers!

Brett A. Wolfe
m_lincolnii at yahoo.com
Seattle, WA