04Sep -- (0808-1008hrs) -- Cloudy morning and pretty quiet throughout with
migrant types quite scarce, all in that category limited to just one each,
Swainson's Thrush, Western Tanager, Black-headed Grosbeak, Orange-crowned
Warbler, Western Wood-Pewee, and Olive-sided Flycatcher. The latter was
the most conspicuous of the bunch, seen both northbound and an hour later
southbound at the water crossing (gauging station) in the central section
silently perched atop a dead snag ~50ft west of the trail. The Larsen Lake area
was quite dead this morning, zero anything at the 'elbow' and no waxwings
anywhere up there either. However, the morning's highlight was the LHG's
very first EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE seen and heard E and NE of Larsen Lake
when it flew over (thought it was a BTPI at first) and landed conspicuously
atop a Douglas Fir behind (front side) of the house with the feeders
opposite the ANHU tree up the trail to the far NE corner entrance from where it
immediately started calling and continued and incessantly so for the next
several minutes, thus making for a nice and welcome 'new' sound amidst the
otherwise regular and expected routine. It's not been a question of "if"
...but "when" our first EUCD would show up, but 0900hrs this morning was that
moment. No Green Heron(s) could be found around Larsen Lake this morning
despite some extended and careful searching, but given their seemingly
nervous flighty nature the past couple mornings which gave me a nagging feeling
that they might be 'thinking' of leaving, maybe they have now, who knows.
The species most notably absent this morning was Barn Swallow, and for the
first time since 23 April. The past two mornings, I was down to just one
Barn Swallow lingering around Phantom Lake, but as of this morning that final
holdout appears to be gone for the season too. 2.0hrs, 29 species.

Richard Rowlett
Bellevue (Eastgate), WA