My first bird of the year was a big disapointment. The waether was rotten as
it was raining hard & I guess I wanted something special to get my year off on
the right foot. Nothing in the back yard at the feeders, so I lookad at the
small pond beside my house. Maybe the mallards that hang out there? Or the
hooded merganzers, or bufflehead? No such luck. Sitting in a little leafless
tree between my house & the water were....6 english sparrows!! Bummer! Not
only a bird I hadn't seen around my house till this winter, but the most I've
seen here at one time! Boy, I hope this isn't an omen.

Phil Kelley
Lacey, WA
scrbjay at aol.com