Tweeters:

Late summer migration was evident Saturday, August 1st, at Tiny's Land, n. Lake Stevens. Of 45 species found, the highlights were two EASTERN KINGBIRDS in the tallest cottonwood at the yard edge, heard only close to noon, then calling again, and this time seen flying away, close to dusk; this was a yard first. Then a DUSKY FLYCATCHER was found at about 9 a.m. just south of 78th Ave NE, calling first and then similarly coming into view as it moved from one branch to the next. It has been a number of years since we had one here, although we had several spring records in the 1995-2005 period. This is only our second in "fall", interestingly the other was an early August bird also. A WREN, sp. seen also close to dusk right along the entry drive looked enticingly like a HOUSE, but I could not be sure. Another evident migrant was a YELLOW WARBLER close to 84th, this is a species we typically only get in Aug-Sept here.

Perhaps eclipsing all of these was a very odd AM. ROBIN, photographed, that had, among others, (a) smaller size and shorter tail than regular Am. Robins; (b) some apparent orangish-rust in the scapulars and a very light rufous cast in one of the primaries; (c) white undertail coverts that (although the photos are much less than diagnostic) extend up to the middle of the lower breast; and (d) an odd
"chack-chack" call (that sounded closest to the Dusky Thrush (Turdus eunomus) of Northeast Asia, at least to this observer's ear). This could have simply been an odd call of a young Robin, of course; and (e) considerable gray in the upperparts above when the bird flew away. I will post photos of this interesting bird to flickr when the opportunity presents itself. Full list for the day on EBird at: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S24463241

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