Maureen Ellis commented...
> (1) Horned grebes starting to show "color" indicative of alternate
> plumage.

Yes. I was out at East Bay, Olympia, for a Black Hills Audubon walk on Saturday
and thought I noticed the same thing, a tinge of rust in the gray hindneck of
the local Horned Grebes. I encouraged the Auduboners who joined me on the walk
to return in March to see the magically-transformed grebes in their sporty
"summer" attire.

Incidentally, the remainder of East Bay's waterbirds on Saturday were the
"usuals" for the month: Greater Scaup, both goldeneye species, Black (a couple)
and Surf (a couple dozen) scoters, Buffleheads, a drake Red-breasted Merganser,
and, happily, a mini-contingent of Ruddy Ducks. A Greater Yellowlegs and male
kingfisher added another dimension. More Mew Gulls than Ring-billed.
Altogether, interesting variety.

The weather made me think of swallows and martins, though it's a bit early to
get into THAT mindset!
--
Scott Richardson
northeast Seattle
salix at halcyon.com

Remember:
Female Belted Kingfishers have a rusty "belt," which the males lack.
Both sexes have a blue breast band.