Hey tweets, The Fill is starting to welcome spring, and most welcome
it is too! A flock of Violet-green Swallows popped in from the local
black hole in the Dime Lot - you know the one: it allows birders to
scan all around, not see a bird, and then poof! there's the bird.

Also taking advantage of such local conditions was an AMERICAN
KESTREL. trying her best to nab a tasty American Goldfinch out of the
flock that has claimed the alder trees bordering the east side of
University Slough. She did not succeed and flew off toward Conibear.

The Barrow's Goldeneye who has favored University Slough for many
weeks this winter returned again after an absence of some days. I
think all the birds appreciated a break from the ginormous pile driver
that has been smashing 60-foot steel piles into the playfield along
bordering the slough for the past couple months. The pile driver is
gone now, thank goodness, replaced by cement trucks as the UW's new
track gets built.

By the way, thanks to all who emailed the UW's liaison objecting to
the installation of artificial turf in the north playfield. I don't
know yet if we had an effect, but I know at least we were heard.

Flocks of Common Mergansers are starting to appear in Union Bay. In
years past, large numbers of mergansers have staged here before
heading off to the breeding grounds. The males always remind me of
submarines somehow. I know submarines have periscopes that point up,
so sailors can look at the surroundings above the waves when they're
underwater. Mergansers have pericopes that look down while they're
floating on the surface. But still I can almost hear a faint a-WOOGA a-
WOOGA before they dive for fish. Might be cars honking on the bridge,
but yesterday the bridge was closed. So go figure.

Brewer's Blackbirds have been checking out the bushes around the
helipad. The bushes were given a buzz cut last year and have yet to
recover fully, plus the new UW track is now just a few dozen meters
away. None of this seems to faze the blackbirds, though. The males
were pointing their bills up and posing on the helipad fence, so I
think the colony here will go forward again this year. - Connie, Seattle

constancesidles at gmail.com
www.constancypress.com
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