Nice summer day on the Fill this morning. 40 species seen today.

WESTERN KINGBIRD is (are?) still there in the trees behind the CUH or on the greenhouse chainlink fence (the "Kingbird fence" as they all seem to like to hang out there. When on the fill I also saw a WESTERN KINGBIRD sallying from a shrub 30m off trail at the "burnt out pine".

Oddly there is at least one AMERICAN WIGEON male in both The Cove (from East Point) with a group of Gadwall and on it's own in The Lagoon from Canal Road. I presume it's the same bird. A little scruffy on the flanks but in quite good shape.

CINNAMON TEAL male was in The Lagoon too. I'd seen him in SW Pond on Sunday when he made a hop to the Lagoon.

A BLACK SWIFT feeding at not much higher than treetop height over the Cottonwoods by the Loop Trail. Short viewing time and I didn't see it again.

A group of 6 CASPIAN TERN calling to each other whilst flying north over the Lake to UW campus.

Two (large) CORMORANT spp seen flying overhead and later one DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT was drying itelf on a rock in The Lagoon.

One single song from a WILLOW FLYCATCHER heard (I think -- a three phrase empid-like song but not quite the classic "quick three beers").

One crufty looking flightless WOOD DUCK male without primary feathers in The Lagoon though others hadn't lost them yet but are clearly moulting. They should start to "disappear" soon.

I dipped on the LAZULI BUNTING (as with my last four visits!) Despite spending some time looking for it at 1030am at the Cottonwoods by the Youth Garden and Picnic Tables. I talked to another birder who had seen it there 1.5 hours earlier.

There's plenty of interesting behavior too.

Several OSPREY with interesting behavior: calling, soaring, patrolling and fishing. One (I presume the resident) whilst carrying a fish in it's talons kept an eye on another osprey.

Flocking seems to be starting up too. I saw two groups of 10+ HOUSE FINCH flew over the Fill and a small flock of BUSHTIT (bigger than a family group). At the same time a pair of PIED-BILLED GREBE were nest building in the Lagoon towards Connibear just a couple of meters from the road that should make for good/easy nest photos. KILLDEAR seem to have moved from the E5 parking lot to the construction site (at least something likes it). BREWER'S BLACKBIRD have fledglings (seen begging and following an adult on Canal Road).

I noticed the "smoke" of insect (Chironomid?) breeding swarms over the tree tops on Foster Island across the bay. Should be visible from SR520 again tomorrow.

Need a map for the names? http://www.constancypress.com/publications/inmynature/fill/
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Kevin Purcell (Capitol Hill, Seattle, WA)
kevinpurcell at pobox.com
http://kevinpurcell.posterous.com
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