Hey tweets, I have just learned that a group called NAIOP (Google
them, if you're interested) has "adopted" the Fill for their community
service project this year. They will be gravelling the Loop Trail this
coming Friday and Saturday. Friday, there will be dump trucks out on
the trail, dumping piles of gravel. Saturday, volunteers will be
spreading the gravel onto the trail. They will also be in Yesler Swamp
and elsewhere at the Fill, pulling invasives. We expect about 400
volunteers, so a lot will get done in a short amount of time. UW staff
estimate the value of this effort to be around $250,000.

Meanwhile, the birds continue to come through on migration. Hordes of
Yellow Warblers have eaten their way through what seems to be a
continually renewing cornucopia of insects. The birds eat and eat,
then more birds come and eat some more. It's like the popcorn machine
at the movies.

A Barred Owl has been showing up in the afternoons, posing for photos
for the lucky few who have seen it (I'm not one of them!). An American
Wigeon has appeared on Main Pond, along with 5 Northern Pintails, a
lingering Cinnamon Teal, and little flocks of Green-winged Teals. A
Merlin seems to have settled in for the long term, along with a
juvenile and an adult Cooper's Hawk. That's a lot of raptors for a
small space, which makes the songbirds hunker down. The songbirds are
present, but sometimes extremely hard to find, understandably.

I was out on the gravel roadway behind the Youth Farm yesterday,
getting scolded by two typically frenetic Killdeers, when the Barn
Swallows sounded their alarm call. The Killdeers immediately froze
into statues, just as the Merlin rocketed past. I know the plovers
*wanted* to keep yelling at me, but they couldn't move. I froze too,
just to see what it was like. Not having eyes near the top of my head,
I couldn't tell what the heck was happening with the raptor's attempt
to find prey. So I watched the Killdeers' eyes to see where the danger
was. Apparently all around us, because their eyes were rolling around
like bowling pins flying in all directions. Finally, the danger passed
and the Killdeers came back to life - and back to scolding me. I got
the hint and left their territory. They had enough to worry about
without me encroaching on their space. - Connie, Seattle

constancesidles at gmail.com
www.constancypress.com
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