Not much happening at the Fill on Saturday morning. There seemed to
be an absence of both birds and birders (especially compared to the
last time I was there three weeks ago). Perhaps I was too late today.
It was already starting to warm up when I arrived.

I get the bus down from Capitol Hill so I walk in across the
University Slough bridge and up the Lane. Today I arrived at 8am (and
stayed until noon) I decided I'd walk the lane first and head to
Surber then come back and do the loop. It all helps the sun direction.

The first pass along the lane was not at all promising. The usual
minus some of the other usuals (like warblers) I've come to expect
recently.

I bumped into Joel by the Greenhouses after we both saw a BROWN-
HEADED COWBIRD (I think that might have most exciting bird!). Then
headed to Surber where nothing much showed apart from the BLACK-
CAPPED CHIKADEES nesting in the snag who were actively feeding.

On the return to the Fill (after seeing a Towhee in front of the
CUH). I bumped into Joel, gain, heading out in almost the same point
we met before. Nothing interesting seen. And he made the comment: "No
warblers. Not even heard one". Bummer. It's not just me then.

Same with a couple of other birders I bumped into. Though one saw a
BLUE-WINGED TEAL pair in the South West Pond (though I'm not certain
of the location ... there was some obfuscation). But perhaps the most
interesting bird mentioned. The other (a woman) on the spur north to
the dumpsters after watching what turned out to be an immature BALD
EAGLE and two OSPREYS made the same comment about the lack of
warblers: none heard.

After that I hit the Loop Trail and didn't see much of interest. But
heading past the cottonwoods I did hear a COMMON YELLOWTHROAT singing
(that I never did see). There was also a COMMON YELLOWTHROAT singing
just past the South West Pond as the Loop comes back up to the lane
(where I failed to see the BLUE-WINGED TEAL). I didn't see that one
either.

So with no interesting species seen and one warbler heard I did see
some interesting behavior.

1. When walking up to Surber viewing from the path by the greenhouses
to the patch of rough grass behind CUH I watched an adult BALD EAGLE
circle, make an approach and stoop with talons down onto something in
the grass between two crows. This is the first time I've seen a BALD
EAGLE take something from the grass rather than the water. I couldn't
see what was in the talons but I'm sure it wasn't a bird. The crows
seemed suprised but not "raptor berserk". They didn't mob the eagle
as he exited. The eagle immediately circled around and headed back to
the nest site -- so I presume there was a food item to deliver.

2. A little later I noticed an immature BALD EAGLE circling over the
Fill. A quick look showed that it had a fish in it's talons. It was
moving the fish around between talons. At first I though it was just
trying to get better aerodynamics but on continued viewing it became
clear that it was eating the fish in flight. It would reach back and
take a chunk (in just one case loosing a chunk). In most other cases
it seemed to pass the prey back and forth between beak and talon
until it was all gone (and no more was dropped). Eventually it folded
it's legs back and headed out over the lake to soar an adult BALD
EAGLE came in over the Fill.

3. In the South West pond entrance (on that little desire path that
comes off the Loop) I spotted an adult PIED BILLED GREBE with two
chicks (grebelets? grebelings? no, it's chicks) in tow. One chick
swam up and mounted the back of the adult but the adult seemed
disturbed dropping it's head and neck low to the water and increasing
speed. This happened multiple times with the juvenile failing to get
on the adults back. Then the cause of her interest saw into view:
another adult PIED BILLED GREBE with a fish in it's bill. After a
meet and greet with some calling and head bobbing the adult moved to
the swimming chick and gave it the fish. The phrase "never eat
anything larger than you head" came to mind. The fish looked too
large for the tiny chick. Each time the fish was passed the chick
would try to eat it but drop it. The adult would recover it and pass
it back to the chick. Eventually the chick got the fish head first
and it disappeared into the chick. Yikes. I'd guess that fish was
about 10 to 20% the size of the chick. Then the chick swam over to
the other adult grebe and climbed on it's back. A perfect David
Attenborough moment for Wildlife on Two (or Springwatch).

4. The other cute baby moment was on the Central Pond. I was scanning
the edges of the pond for anything interesting and came across two
very small plover-like creatures. In fact they looked like very small
KILLDEER. Which in fact what they are: very precocious precocial
KILLDEER chicks. I was amused to see on BBC Springwatch 2009 that
they showed some Little Ringed Plover chicks that look very similar
(in scale and proportions). I never realized Killdeer chicks were
_so_ precocial. Of course, it makes perfect sense given the rule of
thumb: "precocial at the front of the field guide; altricial at the
back". But that didn't become real for me until I actually saw them.
They wandered around at the edge of the long grass until an adult
Killdeer came by and seemed to round them up to take them deeper into
the long grass out of sight.

5. Whilst walking up the path towards the South West pond I saw a
SAVANNAH SPARROW on the path running back and forth but staying on
the path. Odd. In the bins it was clear what was happening: the
sparrow was chasing insects on the path. You could see them flee when
they were flushed by the sparrow. It would find one then a small
chase would ensure and the sparrow would catch the prey adding it to
the collection in it's mouth. To feed nestlings, I presumed. After
three successive catches it chased a fourth insect to the path edge.
This insect doubled back under the sparrows legs then jumped on it's
tail! The sparrow followed the insect back through it's legs with
it's head then snapped it's head up and spun around first to the left
in complete circle then the right in another circle and finally to
the left looking for the missing insect. It never did find it. Very
comical. A passer by then flushed the bird and it headed back to the
nest about 30m away in a bush.

6. I noticed the AMERICAN CROWS hawking and hovering over the lake.
They would fly out over the lake perhaps 30m or so out from the land
and then quarter over the water with their head looking down. It
seems they would spot something. Sometimes suddenly so they'd stall
out one wing to rapidly turn (I've seen bald eagles and ospreys do
this when hunting fish) then come down to the surface of the water in
a hover and either dip their claws into the water or reach down and
grab something from the surface with their beak. Then they would fly
back to land. It was difficult to see what they were taking. It
wasn't fish but something rather smaller. A group of five or six of
them were doing this. I've not seen this behavior before. Seems like
a lot of effort for a small return.

7. At one point two OSPREYS circling/soaring over the western part of
the fill with both of them calling. The birds were in two separate
(non-concentric) "orbits" so their paths didn't overlap but they
could see each other. On a couple of occasions I saw their legs
dropped (as a threat display).

8. I noticed again GREAT BLUE HERONS soaring in a thermal over the
Fill. I've seen this on a couple of occasions now (and Alan Grenon
mentioned it last time I saw him at the Fill). It's a not very
elegant soaring style with a brief glide then a couple of low
amplitude flaps then a glide. Repeat. But it's not fully powered
flight as you seem them "in transit" across the Fill. I presume they
are gaining altitude to "move" to their next location. This is sort
of related to an outstanding question about the herons at the fill:
do they have a rookery? where do they roost? do they commute (from
the Ballard Locks? From Kenmore as Joel suggested?)

9. On the walk in along University Slough I noticed a very small
female duck leading 10 ducklings along the side of the road. I
presume just from her size, as she clearly smaller than a GADWALL or
MALLARD, that she was a female GREEN WINGED TEAL (sorry I'm not good
at female duck ID). So do GREEN WINGED TEAL breed at the Fill? And
with such a big brood. Is that typical or do GREEN WINGED TEAL form a
creche?

So even when one hasn't seen "anything interesting" there can be
interesting things to see.

Perhaps on the next front?
--
Kevin Purcell
kevinpurcell at pobox.com