Hi Tweets,

Each spring my wife and I have a running contest to see who will be able to see the first Orange-crowned Warbler in our flowering Red Currant. This rather large bush is positioned just outside our dining room window and with the a bird feeder in place there is usually some sort of bird activity going on. Well last night, the Orange-crowned Warbler made its appearance, picking in the blossoms. While I'm thinking she has the slightly better angle, she did win fair and square.

Other interesting birds notes from this urban yard with a good smattering of natives is a rather novel sounding Dark-eyed Junco. When I first heard it through the window, I thought I was hearing a version of the Red-winged Blackbirds high 'chuu' call, a bird I've never seen in my yard. Well, I was a bit stunned to see the local DE Junco repeatedly making a less emphatic version of this same call from the top of a Hawthorn tree. This was adult male by plumage and I had been hearing the trilling song earlier in the week - quite a pleasant surprise.

The local American Crow pair has also found my yard irresistible, with a 40+ year old apple tree and a lilac that appears to be of the same vintage (although a ice storm prunings have kept it thinned), the old twigs are just perfect for crow nest building. The pair has made multiple forays into the yard finding just the right sticks - quite entertaining to watch the selection process.

Still waiting for the Black-capped Chickadees to start their spring songs and see just how many varieties of song they will offer this year.

Now, along with a few trilliums, I know spring has arrived in the north end of Tacoma.

Good Birding,

Marcus Roening
Tacoma WA
marcus.d.roening at GSK.com