[DIYSteve]

[olderthanIusedtobe]

[tmatlack]

Crud, Bought a bunch of feeders/seed. Nary a bird in two weeks. I live near Lk. Stevens HS and have a greenbelt out back...no juncos or chickadees even. Something has gnawed on the suet but I have not seen what it is. tom

[olderthanIusedtobe]

I've seen my white junco about a half a dozen times now, but it never hangs around very long and I haven't managed to get a picture of it so far. Today I saw 3 eagles cruise overhead at Boeing Creek Park. I can't remember ever seeing an eagle there or in my general neighborhood before. Definitely down by the waterfront nearby, but not inland.

[tmatlack]

Hint: I am having some success with baby carrots or stacks of pennies in my Wrist-Rocket slingshot to keep the neighbor cats and huge gray squirrels off my birds and feeder. Using marbles or ball bearings is forbidden because a hard richochet might damage neighbor windows or cars parked in the cul de sac. Tom the Protector

[olderthanIusedtobe]

Like probably everyone else, I have robins coming out of my ears around the house. I don't recall seeing a varied thrush at home before. I had one hanging around a week or two ago. Heard it seeing several times as well. Might be the earliest in the year I've ever heard any kind of thrush other than a robin singing.

[DIYSteve]

Red-tailed Hawks are pairing up E of the crest

[Waterman]

I consider myself very fortunate that my commute goes through fir island near La Conner. On a daily basis, I see hawks eagles and snow geese. With opportunity to walk the dikes looking for owls.

[MtnGoat]

We've had a ton of eagles so far. One was in a tree not 20 feet off the road this morning, slowed down in preparation to stop and get a pic, but he didn't like that and flew off. A few weeks ago I was flying my toys at the local airfield on a pretty decent day for thermals, and saw this small flock of large birds circling and climbing out. They didn't have the wing shape for a buzzard and didn't do the gentle rocking from side to side the buzzards tend to do. I grabbed my binos and to my surprise, they were all bald eagles. I didn't know they ever flew in flocks or groups, it was odd to see it.

[olderthanIusedtobe]

There's an unusual looking mallard that I've seen off and on at the little lake in Boeing Creek Park, including today. I was thinking hybrid, but doing a little googling it might be a domestic mallard, which can appear different. It has the characteristic iridescent green head, but instead of a brown throat/chest and gray body, it has a white throat/chest and brown body. The wings appear different too. It hangs out w/ all the other mallards and appears to be paired up with a female. I keep expecting little yellow fuzz balls any time now, but haven't seen any yet.

[DIYSteve]

[olderthanIusedtobe]

[DIYSteve]

Leucism in birds is not all that rare. Today someone posted a link to a pic of a leucistic adult Bald Eagle flying near the SR 520 bridge.

[camut]

A leucistic bald eagle is being seen frequently at The West 90 (aka Welts-Samish Restoration Site) near Samish Island. I saw it today in the bare trees just north of the parking lot. Very striking looking bird.

[DIYSteve]

yesterday a pair of Say's Phoebes returned to our home in Eburg