Tweets,

>From about 4:30am to just after 5am on Friday, we were treated with two
GREAT HORNED OWLS hooting from somewhere to the immediate south of the
house. (Roxie woke me up saying that she thought I would like to hear them -
she was right.) I'd seen one owl the previous week when it was roosting
among some Douglas-firs out back. Early Saturday evening we heard them again
just east of the house, and on Sunday, one was calling to the north. Haven't
heard them since.



The WESTERN BLUEBIRDS have chosen the nestbox that's closest to the road,
along the fenceline at the front of the house. I'd originally had this
nestbox attached to our barn with a diamond-shaped hole designed to specs
for Violet-green Swallows. (It was never used by those, but a Tree Swallow
did partially build a nest in it.) Over the winter, a woodpecker, likely a
Downy, enlarged the hole, so I took it down and moved it to the front. The
hole isn't that big - certainly not the typical 1-9/16in size recommended
for Western Bluebirds, but perhaps the "diamond" extension makes it OK for
the bluebirds to enter. At least it seems the case.



A RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER was drumming on a big-leaf maple stub on Saturday,
with the female feeding on another maple nearby. I've heard the sapsucker
drumming on other trees and even on metal someplace across the road every
day. Three Downy Woodpeckers are in the area, and it appears that the Downy
that hit the window several weeks ago recovered.



COMMON RAVENS have been across the street among the screen of large
Douglas-firs. They seem to arrive (from where - Ft Lewis?) mid-morning a
stay around there until late afternoon. Sunday, I saw an immature Bald Eagle
chase two ravens among the trees for several minutes. Yesterday, they were
very vocal most of the day, and I spotted 8 of them in two flights of four
very high up. The immature eagle came through, and one of the ravens dove on
and harassed it, with the eagle flipping over, throwing up its talons
several times. I've not seen so many ravens here before, with about four at
most flying through. In 1980, I saw my first ravens at Ft Lewis near
Chambers Lake (just west of SR 507), and only sporadically for a few years
until about 5 or so years ago, when they seemed to be more "common." Now, at
the Fort, I see them almost every time I go (a couple of times a week), and
they've been more in the populated areas instead of just in the immediate
vicinity of Chambers Lake.



Tree Swallows seem to have claimed half of the dozen nestboxes that I've put
up, with the bluebirds resident in another. It may be that House Sparrows
are staking out two more, but I changed out the doors on those two yesterday
so that the entrance holes are ovals just under 1-in high, rather than
circles almost 1.5in. I'll see if that makes a difference. I've only seen a
couple of Violet-green Swallows, and they didn't stay around long.



Yesterday, a Steller's Jay landed on one of the Tree Swallow boxes and was
immediately dive-bombed by the swallow residents. The jay flew into the fir
nearby, but then went back to the box - with the same results. The jay
landed three more times after that, again with the same results, and then
finally left.



Given the incubation range of 28-35 days for Red-tailed Hawks, I'm
anticipating that the local nest should have the first hatchling sometime
about April 5, which would be exceptionally early. The hawks were very vocal
yesterday afternoon.



Down in the wetland, Soras were vocalizing yesterday, and I've also heard a
Virginia Rail. Green-winged Teal remain in small numbers, and Mallards still
use the area in the evening and night as a roosting site.



What is it about parking lots and Brewer's Blackbirds? I saw a Brewer's
Blackbird displaying in the parking lot next to the Ft Lewis Commissary on
Sunday. At first I thought the male was on its own, which didn't make sense
to me, but then a female walked out from underneath a parked car and the
male became even more intense in its display. Don't know where they
typically nest in that area, but it's probably close by. Where do the
Brewer's that hang around the Costco in Kirkland breed? It's just
head-shaking time for me.



Pine Siskins, about 40 of them, still remain, and two Evening Grosbeaks have
been feeding out front among the nuthatches, chickadees, sparrows, and
Mourning Doves. About 30 doves were feeding yesterday along with seven
Steller's Jays.



One of these days it's going to warm up - it's been in the mid-to upper 20s
in the morning here the past few days (less Sunday, when it was just plain
nasty out. Really frosty!



Hmmm, a Northern Flicker is drumming on something on the house - probably
the gutter - there it goes flying down to where a female is feeding on
something down near some large rocks. Thatching ants are getting quite
active outside the colonial mounds right now, but I've not seen any in that
particular area. Do flickers eat thatching ants? I know that these ants bite
hard and do spray formic acid, and just wonder if flickers will go for them.



May all your birds be identified,



Denis DeSilvis

Roy, WA

Mailto: avnacrs4birds at q.com