Subject: [Tweeters] Swallows return to Fill
Date: Feb 19 12:24:32 2010
From: Connie Sidles - constancesidles at gmail.com


Hey tweets, today was a glorious day at the Fill (not that any day
there is *less* than glorious): the swallows are back!! The swallows
are back!! There were two Tree Swallows swirling around the Lagoon
first thing this morning. They perched for a moment on the top of the
tall snag there, preened in the sun, and then dove over to the little
nest-snag on Southwest Pond. There they selected the third nest hole
from the top and popped in to do a little housecleaning.

They reminded me that spring cleaning is on my agenda too, but I was
forced to put it off a while longer today because the Western
Meadowlarks were singing full throttle. They've been using the little
pear tree near the Southwest Pond to stage their performances, but
sometimes they get down from on high and sing from the grass. When
they're in amongst the hoi polloi, so to speak, they always sing with
their backs to the audience, I suppose for reasons of safety. But I
notice that they also turn their heads and peek over their shoulders
to watch the audience, too. Performers are all alike in their love of
an appreciative listener.

Back at Paulson Prairie, I heard a lone California Quail calling. This
is the second time I've heard quail at the Fill this year. The first
time I heard it from the burner area at the south end of the Dime Lot.
Today the quail had moved to a more northern spot. The same thing
happened last year. I guess if you're a male calling for a female, you
need to spread yourself around.

Surber Grove was alive with Brown Creepers this morning. They were all
ratcheting up the cottonwoods in perfect light. It's always a good day
when you see a Brown Creeper, but when you see several on the same day
that the swallows return, well, who needs to go to Eden to know what
paradise is like? - Connie, Seattle

constancesidles at gmail.com