Went out to Golden Gardens in Seattle with some friends at midday to look
for intertidal critters. I was heartened by seeing a pair and a trio of
Marbled Murrelets right offshore (threading their way among a zillion
sailboats). I assume they're breeding anywhere from the trees above Golden
Gardens to forests east a dozen or two miles, but I guess we still have some
murrelet habitat somewhere near Seattle.

In my yard the last two days: several Wilson's Warblers and Western
Tanagers, one Western Wood-Pewee. All three of these species remain around
the yard into late May/early Jun, then they're gone. I don't know if
they're setting late dates for spring migrants or if they have designs on
the neighborhood for breeding, then find no mate and leave. Then the most
prominent residents in our beautiful vegetated yard are Rock Doves, European
Starlings, and House Sparrows (well, there are chickadees, flickers,
Bewick's Wrens, Bushtits, towhees, and a few others, but they don't take
over the yard like those city-slicker birds).

We've been feeding peanuts to Steller's Jays and have at least 3 pairs that
come into the yard every day. Now a pair of Bushtits is building a nest in
the back yard, right below where the jays congregate for their free meals,
and we decided to stop feeding them for the summer in hopes they will go
away and not notice the Bushtits. Wildlife management is a difficult
proposition!

Dennis Paulson
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Netta Smith and Dennis Paulson
1724 NE 98 St.
Seattle, WA 98115