They have finally arrived; seen this early AM the first Violet-green
swallows of the season. These will nest in the area and forage above our
condo complex and the Marina village all summer. No Barn swallows, yet.
Other birds seen today include female Belted kingfisher (one of the two
Marina females was apparently killed over Easter, perhaps a casulty of the
big wind). I had not seen ANY kingfishers in four monitoring trips since
the terrible storm until today and wondered if they had all fled! A few
handsome Gadwall drakes (no hens with them), an uncommon species here,
were spotted among the bread-overstuffed Mallard hoards.

Two Brant geese were seen swimming offshore from the Beach Park, away
from the bread and people. There were a lot of individual birds in the
water---scoters, grebes, goldeneyes, and a few cormorants (both
Double-crested and Pelagic), but all these winter-resident species have
been arriving & clearing out over the past couple of weeks and should all
be gone within a short time.

There are at least three pairs of Song sparrows in what passes for a
woodland just east of the Des Moines Beach Park Senior Center; this is an
increase over last season where there appeared to be only one or two
solitary birds. Also new is a female Downy woodpecker; a male was seen a
few times through the winter. I hope to document nesting success better
this season; some birds are easier to study than others.........the Barn
swallows nest under the boat loading/unloading wharf (the one with the
motor-driven "track slings"), so I can count all nests. Barn swallows
have now been reported to be declining also, as are so many neotropical
migratory species.

While the Salmonberry has be blooming here for at least the past two
weeks, I have seen no hummingbirds (but it is cold and windy here...close
to the water.)
(Like this Daylight Savings Time-can bird after work now.)

Maureen Ellis me2 at u.washington.edu Univ of WA and Des Moines, WA USA