Hey tweets, Life has been running me ragged lately, so it was out to
the Fill I went yesterday to knit up my cares and gain some peace of
mind. I got there shortly after dawn (a thing much easier to achieve
now than a month ago) and found an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER in the
treeline just north of Boy Scout Pond. This species has been annual
for me for the past two years, but still it is a rare bird for the
Fill. So naturally I sat down on my camp stool to watch. And
naturally, no sooner had I done this than the bird disappeared, never
to be seen again. Not to worry - there was plenty else to see,
including Yellow and Orange-crowned Warblers in abundance, a lone
Violet-green Swallow amongst the numerous Barns, a Western Wood-Pewee
that magically replaced the beer guy, and a LINCOLN'S SPARROW hiding
among the many Savannahs and goldfinches that have favored this area
for the past few weeks.

So there I was figuratively swinging my legs and saying, "Doh-de-doh-
de-doh" when out from the east came a COMMON NIGHTHAWK. It fluttered
its way over the Cove, then graced the sky right above my head,
fluttered onward, circled a few times, and then disappeared back over
Webster Point. I have never seen a Common Nighthawk here before. I
found myself on my feet, somehow having levitated myself up without
realizing it, unable to breathe, expelling Ohs and losing oxygen.

I have lately become interested in physical metaphors, things like
"packed like sardines" (so I bought a can to see what that looked
like), or "seeing stars" (my husband informs me that you really do see
stars when hit on the head). So it was gratified to learn that you can
truly, not just figuratively, become "rooted to the spot." After the
nighthawk left, I literally could not lift my feet for about 5
minutes. As I was standing there like a goofus, the AMERICAN KESTREL
showed up, spiraling over the cove like a lone Blue Angel! This
resulted in more Connie-rooting. It's a wonder the CUH gardener didn't
have to come by later and mow me down.

Other notables of the day:
Wood Ducks coming into breeding plumage
Northern Harrier
Merlin
Pacific Slope Flycatcher

What a planet we live on. - Connie, Seattle

constancesidles at gmail.com
www.constancypress.com
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