Tweets,

I guess I should consider myself fortunate. I do. Orange-crowned
warblers have been warbling strongly for over a month now and it seems
they are coming from everywhere. Townsend's warblers are flitting
through the leafed out big leaf maples foraging. Band-tailed pigeons are
flapping through and cooing. Purple finches are chomping down on black
oil sunflower seeds, along with many song sparrows, chestnut-backed
chickadees and red-breasted nuthatches. The trunks of the Douglas firs
seem to crawl with brown creepers and I'm going through a half gallon of
sugar water a day in an attempt to keep the rufous hummers from staging
a coup. And some of those winged jewels even have the little bracelets
on their legs they received last year.

Still, I haven't heard a Pacific slope flycatcher or a western tanager
or a Wilson's warbler.

I used to curse the presence of the barred owl. I am now thrilled by
their shrieks and wails. I still hear western screech owls but they
aren't as close as they used to be and I don't think I ever heard as
many saw whet owls as I did this late winter.

Maybe the current low will blow up something interesting as Mike
Patterson inferred in a recent post. Meanwhile, the rhododendrons are
spectacular, lilacs are heady and the grass is wet and needs mowing.
Ugh. Oh well.

Feliz Cinco de Mayo lunes!

Paul

Paul Moorehead
Guemes, WA