Madrona Marsh, April

Very nice birding today (with Bob).  Great egret and snowy egret; wigeons, though they will be taking off soon to breed up north; shovelers, mallards, cinnamon teal and a blue-winged teal. And, this little guy:

 It's a Wilson's phalarope, a little swimming sandpiper. It swims in fast circles to stir up invertebrates to eat.  Also saw a lot of red-wing blackbirds, all over the marsh, chasing crows off the nests.

 We saw a barn swallow and cliff swallow, cedar waxwings, Say's phoebe and black phoebe, European starlings and this flicker:

 So many yellow-rump warblers, at least one Myrtle according to Bob, and Audubon's.

 Canada geese all around, including one sitting on a nest.

 Beautiful little lark sparrow, a rare thing.

 Odd plant here, no birds.

 Western bluebird! Wish I had a longer lens. He was pretty in flight, blue all over the place.

 BIG find, a black-headed grosbeak. He posed for us for a long time.