Hey tweets, thanks to a couple of very generous donors, we now have
enough money for the white board project!! Great news, and a symbol of
how a community can work together to make good things happen. I spoke
to the builder yesterday. We are experiencing some glitches in supply
- the requirement for materials that will stand up to constant sun and
no shattering is proving a little bit of a roadblock. But I have found
through personal experience that if you keep banging your head against
a brick wall, eventually the wall will fall down. (This is why, no
doubt, one of my favorite bird families is the woodpeckers).

Speaking of woodpeckers, yesterday at the Fill was a bonanza for
flickers. They seem to be everywhere lately. I had the rare privilege
of sitting at the north end of the Main Pond when a flicker flew in
almost at my feet and began sticking his bill into the dirt there. I
was so close I could see his pink tongue stick out into the holes he
was making. I've never seen that before. I couldn't see critters stuck
to his tongue, unfortunately, but at one point he unearthed a very
large caterpillar-looking thing that must have been very satisfying.
If he had had lips, the flicker would probably have been smacking them.

Also on view yesterday: a lone Violet-green Swallow. The Western Grebe
was back at its favorite fishing hole on the Lagoon. A lovely Northern
Harrier cruised by right over my head as it cased the cattails along
the Loop Trail. Finally, a Greater Yellowlegs was calling persistently
from the Lagoon area, where the mud is still pretty good. By the way,
a significant mud island has emerged just south of the Cove out in the
lake. Those of us with scopes should pay attention to this island. In
the past when it has appeared, it often has attracted shorebirds.

Lastly, in other news: Kern Ewing's fall Restoration Ecology class has
taken on the task of restoring the Main Pond habitat for the benefit
of shorebirds. This is fantastic news. The kids have been assigned six
study plots. Dennis, Brian and I met with the class on Monday to
answer their questions about shorebirds. The kids were full of energy
and youthful strength. They will be clearing out as much of the woody
vegetation around the Main Pond as they can. When/if you see them at
work, you might drop a word of appreciation into their ears. It's
going to be heavy going there, but it will be so wonderful when
they're done. Best of all, they will be learning about ecological
restoration that is specific to freshwater ponds and Puget Sound
prairies - two specialized and very endangered habitats in our county.
- Connie, Seattle

constancesidles at gmail.com