[Tweeters] rainstorm brings fun feeder birds

[Gary Bletsch]

Dear Tweeters,
The rain that came down on Fir Island yesterday apparently never made it to the Upper Skagit Valley. Today, Tuesday the thirty-first instant, the clouds made up for that.
The birding was very slow in my yard near Lyman in the early morning, as a fine rain came down. Then it started coming down a bit harder, and lo and behold, a Red-breasted Nuthatch came to the feeder! That's a very common bird in many people's yards, but not in mine, where it's not even annual. Today's was the first one I'd seen here since last November.
Even more surprising was a California Scrub Jay that swooped in. This bird seemed more interested in drinking from the bird-bath than in consuming any black-oil sunflower seed, or the special lunch of the day, stale hamburger buns.
Mrs. Bletsch texted me to say that her friend in Sedro-Woolley had three Scrub Jays at her feeder today, so, in a mature and sophisticated manner, I texted back to say, "Neener neener, we have one too!"
Next came a lone female Evening Grosbeak, a species which had not shown up here since July first. She dined on the sunflower seeds, of course.
Meanwhile, a Wilson's Warbler, a Yellow Warbler, and a Warbling Vireo flew in to forage in my birch tree, which always attracts migrants, especially in fall. Joining them were two Black-headed Grosbeaks, which will soon be on their way south.
Yours truly,
Gary Bletsch

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