Hey tweets, Lots of activity at Montlake Fill today, despite the occasional raindrop, which, after all, served only to create a rare autumnal rainbow arching over the grasslands. The WESTERN SCRUB-JAY that has been hanging out with all the Steller's Jays was present again today, flying west to seek peanuts from some constantly renewing source, a kind of magical peanut bag that never empties, I guess. The jays are all slow flyers, so it's a bit of a miracle that they weren't nabbed by the PEREGRINE FALCON that was stalking for anything edible over the fields.

Two GREEN HERONS on Southwest Pond weren't concerned by the falcon, though one of the herons was bothered by a juvenile COOPER'S HAWK that didn't quite know what to make of a bird that could extend about three feet of neck when threatened, spread out its wings like an umbrella, and thereby increase in size by a factor of five at least. This enlargement baffled the young predator, who went into a nearby tree to think things over.

Meanwhile, two WILSON'S SNIPE took advantage of the lull in predator activity to rocket out of the grass of Hunn Meadow West and seek the mud around Main Pond. These are the first snipe I've seen in a while.

The first GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET of the winter appeared on Main Pond today, along with a few YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS and a lone ORANGE-CROWNED. I'm still hoping for more warblers to migrate through, on a brighter, calmer day when it might be easier to see the pesky critters.

More ducks continue to show up each day, while all but two of our summer CINNAMON TEALS have fled south. Many of the males are already back in breeding plumage, including the most spectacular of all, WOOD DUCKS. Sometimes it seems that the whole world is on the move, except for me.

Here is a poem for you today:

I sat under the rainbow today
with no desire to fly higher.
All my dreams are here,
and love,
and the song of the wren
richer than emeralds.

- Connie, Seattle

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