Changes in bird feeder activity this month:

**The first Junco this fall appeared on Wednesday, Sept 22, and today
there were more than a dozen of them at the white millet ground feeder.

**The Fox Sparrow has returned this week too and several of them spent
quite a long time in the birdbath this morning. The Stellar Jays,
Robins, and Goldfinch spent time there, too. Many more birds there than
usual.

**More than a dozen American Goldfinch spent the summer here and at least
ten of them remain and visit the thistle feeder every day. Yesterday, I
saw several of them on the platform feeder (sunflower seeds) many times
too. All of them disappeared by mid-September last year, so I am glad
they are still here, but on the other hand, I don?t want them to stay if
it is going to get too cold for them mid-winter, so I wonder if I should
quit feeding them. I do hate to take down the thistle feeder, however,
because I am expecting the Pine Siskin to show up any day now.

**Although there are an increasing number of Spotted Towhee visiting the
millet feeders, I have not seen the three new hatchlings for a couple
weeks. Would they have their distinctive Towhee colored feathers this
early?

**Black headed Grosbeak frequented the bird feeders in large numbers all
summer with at least three nests here on the five acres, but all of them
disappeared the first week of September except one female that hung
around until last Saturday. I think she had an injured wing because she
spent most of her time on the ground for several days before and after
the rest disappeared. Then she hung out in one corner of one feeder
most of the time. But I have not seen her this week.

**As always, there are Mourning Doves, Black Cap and Chestnut Backed
Chickadees, Nuthatch, and Song Sparrows visiting the feeders. I am
still seeing a few Band Tails around, too.

Note on Mt Rainier: we drove from Morton to Paradise this afternoon and
walked up to Myrtle Falls. The mountain top was fogged in, but the
lower meadows were beautiful with the brush turning red, orange and
yellow. We saw 70 birds. 68 of them were Crows seen between Elbe and
the Park entrance?28 of those in one group close to the highway. The
other two birds were a Robin and a Stellar Jay (that perched on a branch
a foot away from the stone wall above Narada Falls beside which many
tourists were walking. Parents stopped to point it out to their
children without ruffling a feather. Can this even be considered a wild
bird any more?)

Darlene
Cinebar