Subject: [Tweeters] Seattle neighborhood birds:visiting birder
Date: Feb 11 20:41:55 2009
From: scompton1251 at charter.net - scompton1251 at charter.net


Tweeters,

I am visiting this week from Greenville,SC. My daughter lives on Lucille Street. near Seward Park. I assume it's a normal Seattle neighborhood. Birds of note this week:

Stellar's and Western Scrub Jays. The scrub jays were a surprise to me, first noticed them when I heard an unfamiliar call, quite unlike anything I'd heard before. I had seen scrub jay in Florida and Utah, but these were much closer and I've seen them every day this week. These two are much shyer than the Stellar's, which are also quite noisy.

Golden-crowned Sparrow on the street were also a surprise to me, three were well seen two days.

A nice busy flock of Bushtit were seen once, flying about like a swarm of bees.

Your local American Crows sure are small. Clearly, there's a lot of Northwestern Crow happening in their DNA. They have a higher pitched call and flock together a bit more than our American Crows in urban Greenville,SC. Sure would like to count them as my life Northwestern Crow, but I'll wait until I come back and travel a bit further north.

Your Black-capped Chickadees and a singing Bewick's Wren were of interest to this visitor. No Chestnut-backed Chickadees here on the street this week so far.

You have lots of Robins here just like we do now in SC, eating berries. We have more Waxwings than I've seen here on Lucille St.

Our House Finches are starting to sing like yours here on sunny days.

Tommorow and Friday my son and I go to the Okanogan area-my first time there. 25 potential lifers, I expect 5-10, like stake-out Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch and Pygmy Owl, maybe the Hawk Owl at Mansfield that has been reliable.
Need Snow Bunting, Bohemian Waxwing, most of the chicken birds like Sharp-tailed Grouse and the partridges. Maybe I'll get lucky and get a Gyr or a Goshawk!

Always great to visit the other side of the lower 48. Look me up if you're planning trip to SC.

Steve Compton
Visiting on Lucille Street but returning soon to warmer Greenville,SC