Hey tweets, thanks to the keen eyes of Whitney Neufeld-Kaiser, I was able to see a Say's Phoebe at the Fill for the first time in 2 years. It was foraging among the wood chips just east of Main Pond, flying from WSDOT post to WSDOT post, so I guess those posts are good for something after all.

As I was enjoying this fine bird, a flock of 9 American Pipits flew in to forage almost at my feet, near the Lone Pine Tree (which has now fallen over). This area was restored to native prairie by Kern Ewing's restoration ecology students and it usually hosts pipits each spring.

The baby Anna's that have been enthralling birders and photographers since February (at Leaky Pond) have begun flapping exercises, so it won't be long now before they leave the nest and begin life on their own. Meanwhile, Bushtits in several spots around the Fill have been busy weaving their enormous sock nests; both Audubon's and Myrtle Yellow-rumped Warblers are molting into beautiful breeding plumage; the Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Golden-crowned Sparrows have been singing their farewells before they head up to Alaska; and altogether, it is a beautiful time of year. We live in Paradise. - Connie, Seattle

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