Hey tweets, Debbie Shearwater (that preeminent pelagic birder) always says,
"If you snooze, you lose." The net result of which was, the last time I went
with her on an expedition (it was to Siberia), I think I slept a total of
two hours a day. It took weeks for my eye-bags to finally go away.

This morning, I debated about when to head out to the Fill. The sun was up
by 5:15 a.m. and so was I, but the heater and a fresh of coffee were
tempting me to stay at home. Luckily, my husband shooed me out the door, and
I arrived at 5:30 to find glories:
? a female Rufous Hummingbird at the Dime Lot - making at least 3 probable
nests this year (one in Surber Grove, one in Sidles Swamp, and now one in
the Dime Lot)
? male Blue-winged Teal flying to Main Pond
? a pair of Lesser Scaup on the lake, along with two late Buffleheads
? an American Wigeon still on Main Pond
? a Western Wood-pewee singing in the alder grove near the kiosk
and greatest glory of them all:
?a flock of at least 24 (!) BLACK SWIFTS flying overhead. The swifts arrived
from the southwest (as they always do whenever I see them at the Fill). One
flew right over my head as I stood at Southwest Pond with my mouth open.
Then more arrived and more and more. They parked themselves in a holding
pattern over the alder grove, and I scurried over there as fast as I could.
Then I sat down to watch, as they soared back and forth, cutting
effortlessly through the sky like flying scimitars.

I felt like I was having an out-of-body experience. "You were," said my son.
"If you could imagine what it was like to be flying with them, then you did
leave behind your body." Wow. - Connie, Seattle

constancesidles at gmail.com
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