Columbia Estuary Report - 03/14/1999

We seem to be in the cusp, here on the Columbia River Estuary, that
slack space between early arrival and the next wave. The winter
stuff is making itself scarce and the spring stuff ain't here yet.

Female RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS arrived this week. One was at my feeder
on March 10 another was working over the willow blooms at the
mitigation bank today. There were at least 100 TREE SWALLOWS at
the mitigation bank. SONGS SPARROWS were going through courting
rituals.

Pairs of WOOD DUCKS are appearing on local ponds.

A type-3 RED CROSSBILL was singing in the big spruce across from
my house this morning. This type has nested in that spruce in
past years and is the expected type for coastal spruce/douglas-fir
habitats. They've been scarce this winter (replaced by one of the
others, possibly type-5). What do you all think? Does it count as
a spring arrival?

--
Mike Patterson I don't swear for the hell of it.
Astoria, OR Language is a poor enough means of communication
mpatters at orednet.org and we've got to use all the words we've got....
Besides, there are damn few words anybody understands
Henry Drummond in "Inherit the Wind"

http://www.pacifier.com/~mpatters/bird/bird.html