A quick suppertime stroll to survey: 6 BRANT geese feasting on the green
stuff proliferating at low tide on the beach. A passing-through bunch,
near 50, of GOLDENEYES; in the low, bright western light all the males I
could see were COMMON's. Our local wintering Barrows left 2-3 weeks ago.
The pair of GADWALLS are still here after 3 weeks.

Unusual for this area was a singing male REDWINGED blackbird right at the
foot-bridge crossing Des Moines Creek into the beach park and a
GOLDEN-CROWNED sparrow was loafing on power lines above the Marina.

We have a new Canada goose family with 4 hatchlings only a few days old.
There are a few other Canadas hanging out, but all seem to be childless
for this season. I counted about 21 BARN swallow nests under the main
public boat launch and 2 more under the secondary launch near the salmon
pen. There are WHITE-CROWNED sparrows singing everywhere now, and the
SPOTTED towhees seem more vocal and more numerous compared to last season.
We may no longer have Marina resident-Belted kingfishers; one brief, but
not certain it was one, rattle call was heard today. Since earlier this
winter, the kingfishers have rarely been seen here; I'll keep checking.

Off to northern Utah for a 4-day weekend; will file a report on that too!

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

"Finding the occasional straw of truth awash in a great ocean of
confusion and bamboozle requires vigilance, dedication, and courage."
-Carl Sagan-