Hey tweets, As many of you know, I am working on Gene Hunn's new
edition of "Birding in Seattle and King County." We still have a ways
to go before it will come hot off the presses and into your hands
(print target: this spring!), but believe me, it will be worth the
wait. Gene's style is engaging, his new information is spot-on
helpful, and the accompanying photos are something never before seen
in print: luminescent pictures of the birds as we see them in nature,
thanks to the generosity of many of our fine photographers in
tweeterdom. The new digital technology makes possible photos that have
never been possible before in terms of color, highlights, shadows, and
stop-action. I believe this book will be the first-ever bird guide to
publish photos of this type. You will be amazed, I guarantee.

In the meantime, though, I could use your help. In one section of the
book, Gene talks about the heronry that established itself in Auburn
in 1968 in what birders called "Great Blue Heron Marsh."

I need to know how active that heronry is today. Are the herons
still using the site? Does anyone know how many active nests were
there in 2010? Lastly, has anyone kept a count of the total number of
species seen at this site?

Thanks for any information you can provide. - Connie

P.S. Short Fill update:

First Bird of the Year for me at the Fill was (drum roll): Double-
crested Cormorant. John and I were out there at 5:30 a.m. on Jan. 1,
looking for ghostly white shapes in the dark (Trumpeter Swans) and/or
any kind of owl whatsoever. No swans at night (though we saw six when
the sun rose). No owls either, despite the fact that I kept poking
John to hoot - an unclear (but probable) breach of my promise to my
son Alex not to play tapes or pish. To rationalize, we were desperate
(I know, I have no excuse; I'm not proud of this here). As the light
got brighter, we knew the crows would start to fly, and I did not want
crow to be FBOY again. Once - last year - was enough. So as we walked
the Loop Trail, every few steps I would jab John in the side with an
elbow and out would come a hoot. Another few steps, a jab, another
hoot. He did his best, but in all honesty his jab-hoots did not sound
very authentic. No owl responded. I doubt there was any owl on the
entire planet who would have. Finally, just before the sun rose, we
went down to the cormorant trees lining the Cut and found 86
cormorants, 0 crows.

Also on that day (the day of the CBC) we found two Varied Thrushes
(*very* good birds for the Fill), two Western Meadowlarks, a Eurasian
Wigeon, and a Pacific Wren (sparse this year). On Jan. 2, I found
three Ruddy Ducks, and Kathy and Arn Slettebek found a Northern
Pintail (I think the only one of our count sub-circle). All together,
we have seen 61 species at the Fill so far this year. Email me
privately, and I will send you a list, if you're interested.