Yesterday (4/23) was about as warm an April day as I can remember in the last few years, at least around here. I was feeling lucky in the afternoon and stopped off at Fields Riffle just downstream from Snohomish.

The riparian willows and cottonwoods were awash in Yellow- rumped Warblers - I gave up trying to keep track, a few singing quietly. Saw a pair of FOY Yellowthroats, the male singing just a bit, and up high in an alder, a bright Goldfinch was singing away- the first I've heard this year. Ah yes, those incredible birds!

As always, I stopped and checked out the humble sand patch along the trail for bugs. There I spied a few Oregon Tiger Beetles, the iridescent beauty of which could compete quite well with a tropical Hummingbird in terms of shiny color. It's just that they're so puny - about 1/2" long - that most folks wouldn't notice. Most would just write these off as flies on the trail - they are incredibly zippy, on the ground and in flight. It has been suggested that Tiger Beetle's, for their size, are the fastest animals on earth, moving so fast at times that their own eye's can't keep up. Amazing.

What I find almost equally amazing is how anyone could figure that out. I mean, what kind of incredible nerd would it take to come up with data like that? And what kind of super nerd equipment, what kind of cool ultra bug-o-meters would something like that be measured with? Incredible! I should say that I consider the label Nerd a term of endearment, a compliment. Why, I have several nerd-like qualities myself, and I imagine, since you're reading tweeters, you just might be a nerd too. Maybe even one of those Incredible ones.

Jeff Gibson
nerding about in
Snohomish Co. Wa