I've been reading all your fine posts. I find myself quite jealous. Our park
walks and patio feeder have been seen seeing less species each week.



In particular, I get jealous when I hear people talk about sightings of
Evening Grosbeaks and Black-headed Grosbeaks! Hey those are our birds! They
were daily visitors at our feeder just a month ago! We even got the
occasional Tanager and Yellow Warbler, but now they are all gone. Our Hawk
hasn't been around in over a month.



Trips to the park "reveal" Robins, Towhees, Crows, Gulls but that's about
it.



The only "newcomer" is Dark-eyed Juncos. We'd get them here and there at our
feeder in the summer, usually lingering at the floor of the patio picking up
what the feeders above left them. But now there appears to be a small group
of them taken up residence and are very prolific right now. They visit daily
now, sometimes in 2s and 3s. They are cute birds actually, quiet, but pretty
in their own common way.



Chickadees, Finches, Flickers and Jays still abound of course, but the Downy
Woodpecker has gone somewhere else, as has our weekly sighting of a stunning
Pileated Woodpecker.



I find myself so jealous, what wondrous adventure has our favorite Hawk
found himself into on his trip to Mexico? Where did that gorgeous Pileated
Woodpecker get to? Somewhere colorful and teaming with dead trees for him to
scrounge food from I'm sure.



I guess one nice thing about being a novice birder is you become more
attuned to the cycle of the seasons. So many lost friends, I can only wonder
and speculate if they'll return next year.



- Douglas, West Seattle

- douglas at snazel.com

- Chez Tweet: <http://snazel.com/cheztweet>
http://snazel.com/cheztweet