Tweeters:

As at Discovery Park and elsewhere in Seattle evidently, I noted a number of geese this morn, and also had some at dusk last night. 28 CACKLING GEESE were headed south over Grove and State streets in Marysville at dusk last night. Then at first light today, I heard (at least) three more over Tiny's Land (our place) in n. Lake Stevens. On my loop route from there, 19 GR. WHITE-FRONTED and several SNOW GEESE were detected, later also CANADA GEESE, for a first-ever 4-goose day. All but the last are real rare here, in fact I've only had single encounters with each here in the last 20 years.

Among passerines, wrens figured prominently. There weren't any Rock Wrens, but I did have a new wren for the route, a migrant MARSH WREN (juv) was in Hardhac (Spiraea douglasii) thickets in a spot I'd figured one would show someday, along with a new local high o f 9 BEWICK'S counted along the 2.4-mile route. Seems it was a really good breeding season for them, as I heard 15 along a jogging route from the 50th and Brooklyn YMCA through Ravenna Park (Seattle) earlier this week.

Of the summer regulars in n. Lake Stevens, a SWAINSON'S THRUSH, two BLACK-THROATED GRAYS and a COM. YELLOWTHROAT were still in the area.

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