Howdy Y'all,

Observed today, Saturday, February 22, 1997, in a three-hour survey:

"Skunk Cabbage" (Lysichitum americanum ssp., I believe) is in full bloom
in the swampy woodland just east of the Senior Center bldgs at Beach Park
on the north side of the marina.

While the Dark-eyed juncoes remain in their usual nervous flocks, the
Robins, Ruby-crowned kinglets, and Song sparrows have clearly paired.
Spotted towhees, Black-capped chickadees, and Song sparrows are
spring-singing with conviction. From behavior, the Bewick's wrens may
already be nesting!

Our wintering Red-necked grebes and Western grebes were not seen today at
all; Horned grebes (no plumage changes yet), Red-breasted mergansers,
and Double-crested cormorants appear to be thinning out to half-wintering
numbers. The rafts of scoters (no Black scoters today)-mostly Surf
with a few White-wingeds persist in the water north of the fishing pier;
numbers down to about 2/3rds of what was seen a few weeks ago.

The wintering adult Pelagic cormorant is still here and exhibits
signs of pair-bonding (sit close together and fly together) with the
sub-adult plumed bird that appeared in early February. This sub-adult
Pelagic seems be acquiring darker, shinier plumage also. The large rafts
of Barrow's goldeneyes and the fewer Common goldeneyes continue foraging
and hanging out in groups..............it's still snow-covered and frigid
where they normally nest, anyway! But, they have been courting over
the last few weeks (Goldeneyes may practice courting rituals all winter
long, according to Bent's Life Histories.)

It's an absolutely gorgeous, blue-sky, sunny late-Feb Saturday,

Maureen E. Ellis me at u.washington.edu Univ of WA and Des Moines, WA