Yesterday morning I looked out the office window to see what birds were about as usual and spotted an unusual bird perched halfway up our tall native Dogwood tree. I had a hunch of what it was but my house binocs were out in my truck . Just as the sun rose above that towering hulk of industrial medicine that shades our house in the morning (Providence Hospital - just across the street) a bit of sun lit our roof and the bird flew down to snoop around the gutter just outside the window - a Townsend's Solitaire - only the second one I've seen here and the third in this neighborhood in the past ten years. Which is pretty good considering that this is not the greatest landbird habitat. Usually they're down in the lowlands in winter for berries. This winter was hard on berries because of the early deep freeze in November - the only berries left in most places around here are English Holly of which we have one. (I know they're invasive, but my wife is named Holly, so.....)

Interesting to have a Solitaire in the yard with a background seranade of barking Sea Lions out on nearby Port Gardner, one of our morning/day/night sounds here.

Jeff Gibson
Everett Wa