Yesterday morning (1-24-10), I was at the Crescent Lake Unit of the
Snoqualmie Wildlife Area in Snohomish County, south of Monroe,
unsuccessfully searching for the Swamp Sparrow that Steve Pink and
Duane Karna found the other day. As I was leaving the field to
return to my car, I looked up into a very tall tree and noticed what
I at first assumed were Starlings. As I looked a little closer, I
concluded they were a little too large for Starlings. When I raised
my binoculars, I could just make out in the poor light the yellow
breasts of about 20 Western Meadowlarks. I am so used to seeing this
species in fields or on fence lines that it took me a minute to
tumble to them. The weekend warriors were out in force. As I birded
the perimeter of the field, trying to pish out whatever I could find
in the blackberry brambles, it sounded as if a Civil War reenactment
was going on. I wondered if that was why the birds seemed to be
lying low. I did see the huge flock of blackbirds but could not find
a Yellow-headed amongst the Red-wingeds. In the large field, the
birds I saw were: Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow
(abundant), Golden-crowned Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, White-
throated Sparrow (2), Oregon Junco, Black-capped Chickadee, Robin,
Western Meadowlark, Red-winged Blackbird, Bald Eagle, and Red-tailed
Hawk. Of interest at the west end of the field, among a small mixed
sparrow flock, was a leucistic bird, most likely a sparrow. I only
got on it briefly twice. It was quite skittish before it
disappeared. On or near the pond at the old prison farm there were
Coot, Northern Pintail, Bufflehead, Mallard, Rock Pigeon, and Crow.

Carol Riddell
Edmonds