I was in my basement which has a ground level window and I saw a feather
float down past the window. I didn't particularly think anything about it,
then another and another piqued my curiosity. I could not see anything above
the window so I walked upstairs and paused at the top of the basement stairs
where I could look around the corner. There, in full view and about 3 feet
from my living room picture window, sat a coopers hawk on a cedar branch,
calmly plucking a Robin. Since I myself have not yet seen any robins in my
own yard, I assume this was the unlucky early bird, the first migrant of the
year (*which is about on track for when they normally start showing up).

After a few minutes, something spooked the hawk and it took off into the
deeper woods to enjoy its dinner.

In another note, I cleaned out our garden pond yesterday and found (and
carefully removed) long-toed salamander eggs and two adults. While all this
was going on, a pine siskin perched companionably on a log at the edge of
the pond. It seemed quite alert so I was wondering if it was one of the sick
ones previously mentioned. Once all the water was more or less out of the
pond, it flew down and began scarfing up small squirmy things from the mud.
I retreated to the house for my own lunch and after a few minutes there were
towhees and Dark eyed juncos also taking advantage of the new mud.

Not to worry as I had collected a large mass of squirmy things, dragonfly
larvae, snails, and other wigglers in a bucket which I reseeded the pond
with after filling it again.

Rob Sandelin
The Environmental Science School
Monroe, WA

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