Hi Tweeters,

I was fortunate to bump into Rachel Lawson this morning at the Montlake Fill
(Union Bay Natural Area). We exchanged sightings and agreed that it was a
decent morning but there were not tons of migrants moving through, but Rachel
said, oh well, I did just see a Vesper Sparrow. I said, wow, forget being an
average morning! Fortunately, the Vesper reappeared, graveling grit from the
main trail between the "Reading Rocks" and the SE pond (link to Fill map below),
allowing great scope views that allowed it to be distinguished from the many
Savannah Sparrows (a larger, chunkier bird with bold eyering, lack of noticeable
supercilium, when perched underside of tail was white). The lighting was harsh,
so my photos turned out of very marginal quality (link below).

Other highlights among 53 species:

- Ducks: Green-winged and Cinnamon Teal, Northern Pintail, Wood and Ring-necked
Duck, American Wigeon
- Green Heron at "The Cove"
- Greater Yellowlegs out on lake and Least Sandpiper at main pond
- 1 each Northern Rough-winged and Violet-Green in the hordes of Barn Swallows
and Vaux's Swifts
- warblers and vireos (no flycatchers): 1 Warbling Vireo, and 1 Yellow-rumped
and 1 each olive and gray-headed forms of Orange-Crowned Warblers along with
many Common Yellowthroats
- 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch near SE pond, a fairly uncommon fall transient at the
Fill
- 1 Swainson's Thrush at Surber Grove, an uncommon migrant at the Fill
- 1 Lincoln's Sparrow along loop trail
- 1 adult White-crowned Sparrow with literally 1 remaining tail feather that
flew like a tank
- 100s of American Goldfinch continuing in the East Meadow, I wish I could get
an accurate count of how many

Vesper Sparrow pix:
http://tinyurl.com/239lp7j http://tinyurl.com/28j258a

video (tough lighting, but best full-screen): http://www.vimeo.com/14645316

Savannah Sparrow: http://tinyurl.com/2a3xnvh

Fill map:
http://constancypress.com/publications/inmynature/fill/

Good birding,
Evan Houston
Seattle, WA