Netta Smith saw a female Mallard with 12 very young chicks at Gasworks
Park, Seattle, on 21 April 1996. As I'm not a subscriber, I apologize if
this is the umpteenth report of this.

In case I forget to comment on this later in the season, I'll add what to
me is a fascinating observation. Last summer we had a Bushtit pair and a
robin pair build nests in the yard, and both of them were destroyed by
oophagous crows. I was amazed to discover this weekend that both species
were building new nests in *exactly* the same places. I had thought that
birds didn't rebuild in the same place when their eggs or young were taken
by predators.

I guess they're not called bird-brained for nothing!