The GW gulls have been very active all night for the past several nights. ?This may or may not be attributed to mating because they do it at seemingly random times throughout the year. ?There are times I suspect that they have?gotten?disturbed on their root by some?predictor?such as the many?Raccoon's?we see late at night but when that happens they settle back down. ?These episodes go on all night. ?Their night "music" consists mostly of the shorter barking or yelping calls rather than the long call. ?The more I know about birds the more questions I have. ?
?
Ray Holden
Olympia, WA
rayleeholden at yahoo.com

Life is for the birds.


________________________________
From: jeff gibson <gibsondesign at msn.com>
To: tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Sunday, April 8, 2012 9:41 PM
Subject: [Tweeters] Return of the "Night Birds"



Living in the Middle Ages as I do (not as a Medieval scholar but as someone in their mid 50's) I sometimes look back in time in observance of how things have changed, and how my perception of things has changed.
?
It used to be that my personal harbinger of Puget Sound Summer was the arrival of the Common Nighthawk ,with its distinctive call, in early June. I remember in the early 70's when they were still seen regularly?over downtown Seattle. Nighthawks calling as they flew low over all the downtown nightlife at Pike Place Market, under lit by streetlights, remains one of my favorite Seattle memories.
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Well, not so many Nighthawks these later decades, and of course it's still too early in the year for them, but still a Night Bird in my mind. I've only heard a handful in Everett in the past 25 years I've been here.
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These days ?I have some new Night Birds, two of which showed up this week in Everett: Caspian Tern's and White-crowned Sparrows.
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FOY Caspian's showed up on 4/4 as I and others posted. Tonight they showed up at dusk in numbers at the Anchor Pub- about 40 screeching away in the fading Western sky. I find it to be a wonderful night sound (and they do call at all hours) here in Everett.
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White-crowned Sparrows also started singing away this week?in the April sun?along the railroad tracks at the Anchor. Closing a bar at 3:30 am gives one a chance to hear night sounds, and one of my favorites is a night-singing White crown. I know they do this in Summer but I'm not sure how early in the year they start their nocturnes - I'll have to pay more attention this year. I think it's only in Summers longest day's. And shortest nights.
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Here in the City we also have Gulls and Killdeer's calling at night, but city noise cover's up any owl calls - at least for my aging ears. I know they're out there though. I guess I'll just enjoy what I do hear in the city and not worry about what I don't.
?
Jeff Gibson,
ears in the dark
Everett Wa

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