Tweeters:

This morning at about 8:30 a.m., I found the Skagit WMA LEAST FLYCATCHER, and enjoyed listening and seeing the bird with Bart Stokes of Lake Stevens for some time. Amazingly, a second LEAST was both heard and seen briefly in the same grove--which might explain why the one bird has been so presistently loyal to that one alder grove right by the boat launch. By my count this #8 entry for the species in the county, the 4th at the Skagit WMA, this the first for spring there, the others have been Sept. birds. Perhaps we'll have a confirmed first county breeding record soon...

I was unable to find the EASTERN KINGBIRD, but I did find a bird near Milltown at the pulloff for the Nature Conservancy Pond near Fisher Slough just east. Other highlights for the day included two WESTERN GREBES far off March Pt. Just south and nearby, I flushed a female YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD from the cattle pen just west of the high point along North Texas Rd. This has been a productive spot this spring, it parallels and is just north of Hwy 20 running east-west.

Southward from the yard today in Lake Stevens, we had highlights of one overflight PURPLE MARTIN (only about our third here) and a W. WOOD-PEWEE, generally uncommon here and the first of the year. As at Dennis' residence in Seattle, we have lots of recently-fledged birds: two family groups totaling 15 DE JUNCOS are the most I've seen, and there are young CB CHICKADEES, SPOTTED TOWHEES and AM. ROBINS around as well. In nearby Marysville on Friday, I was surprised to see a STELLER'S JAY carrying off a recently-fledged but full-size AM. ROBIN at had apparently killed; seemed like a lot to carry by beak. Back at Tiny's Land, we also (for the first time in 16 summers), have a TOWNSEND'S WARBLER on territory for the breeding season.

Scott Atkinson
Lake Stevens
mail to: scottratkinson at hotmail.com