Hey tweets, the Violet-green Swallows showed up for the first time
this year at the Fill today. Huzzah. They joined their fellow
swallows, the Trees, in a big bug-a-thon, flying through clouds of
insects that have formed above the fields and lake.

The insects are so tiny you need your binoculars to even see that
they're there. I guess rather than say they're forming clouds, it
would be more accurate to say the insects are forming mists, or
vapors, or fogs. Something diaphanous.

There must be a *lot* more nourishment in those tiny insects than you
would think, considering how much flapping the swallows are doing vs.
how much gulping they're accomplishing. I would have thought the
insects' exoskeletons and wings would make up the bulk of their
biomass, leaving very little to digest for nourishment. So how do the
swallows keep going? Perhaps they're Breathairians.

Present yesterday (but not seen by me) was a Varied Thrush in Surber,
a Eurasian Wigeon in the lake, and Pine Siskins flying overheard.
Where was I while all this bird activity was going on? Evidently on
some other plane. I did manage to see two Virginia Rails in the
cattails near East Point. They were making a strange call, kind of a
piping noise that sounded more like a songbird than a rail. When
finally they popped into view, they turned out to be a male and female
(or so I surmise - with rails it's hard to tell!) doing some kind of
pair-bonding. Expect more rails in the future. - Connie, Seattle

constancesidles at gmail.com
www.constancypress.com
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