Hey tweets, once the rain stopped, the finches at my house started
chortling in a chorus, which to me is a sound characteristic of spring
and summer. I resisted as long as I could, for today is a work day and
I have so much work piled on my desk I have forgotten what color the
lowest stratum - the desk bedrock as it were - even is. I spared the
finches a quick look, just because I like to look at their oversized
bills, and I caught sight of the first green shoots of spring coming
up around the walnut tree. That did it. Spring was in the air, and it
was impossible to stay inside. I packed up my binocs and was out the
door before my brain could have any tiresome second thoughts.

The birds were really active today, especially in the field and swamp
(Sidles Swamp) south of the CUH buildings. There must have been at
least 500 birds in this one little area: starlings, robins, wrens,
woodpeckers, winter warblers, finches, jays, towhees, juncos, and on
and on.

Among the numerous sparrows foraging in the field along the treeline
was a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. Also in the swamp, a Red-shafted X
Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker (there have been yellow-shafted genes
in the pool here for many years, ever since a full-blooded yellow-
shafted flicker nested near the Golf Driving Range back in the early
90s). This one was more on the yellow side than I usually see. There
was also one lone Cedar Waxwing, the first of the year for me.

On Main Pond, the Ruddy Duck was happily diving for fish, as he has
been doing for many days now. His bill is starting to turn blue! The
Common Teal was also here today, though tucked up so tightly under the
willows on the west side of the pond that you almost had to know he
was there before you could see him. A troop of Canvasbacks was
preening and diving out in the lake, and the ginormous wigeon/coot/
scaup flock was close to shore for once. It was fun to sit on the
Reading Rocks and listen to them murmur to each other.

The Western Scrub-jays who moved in last fall are still making
themselves to home. I think they have begun to unearth the acorns they
hid in the grass some months ago. One jay was pecking in the grass,
picked up a large acorn, and then flew up into a serviceberry bush
near the start of Wahkiakum Lane, where it proceeded to pound and peck
at its prize until nothing was left. I was so close, I almost got hit
by the flying detritus. These jays have been pretty wary of people
until now (wary like crows are wary; in other words, not shy but also
not willing to let you get too close). It was thrilling to watch this
bird at work and be so close to a creature as blue as this. So exotic
looking, and so beautiful. - Connie, Seattle

constancesidles at gmail.com
www.constancypress.com
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