Hey tweets, today was the spring day we never had in spring, and it
was beautiful. Birdy, too. Best of the day: two FOY Lazuli Buntings on
Main Pond; three Black Swifts sky-writing overhead; and a Western
Kingbird catching bugs from the fence around the weather station.

The baby birds are coming out in numbers now, as well. Bewick's Wrens
are back in evidence, taking hydroplane dust baths in the gravel
trails. Young Song Sparrows are peeping at incessantly at their
frazzled parents, and the newly fledged Red-winged Blackbirds have not
gotten the idea that they are supposed to find their own food.

The Wood Duck males are going into eclipse and are looking very
scruffy - a sight I always enjoy as their usual stunning perfection
reminds me too strongly of a Ken doll.

Some oddities of the year: The Canada Geese are already flocking
together, meaning, they did not breed this year. In fact, I saw only
one gosling family this season. Makes me wonder what we humans are
doing to control them. The Pied-billed Grebes that were everywhere
last year are not much in evidence this year. The Tree Swallow numbers
also seem down. Numerous gulls have been floating on the lake, I guess
catching small fish. They mostly look like immatures, but I don't have
the optics to identify which species are out there. I have seen a
couple adult Glaucous-winged and Californias.

FYI, there is a community meeting on June 24 1-3 p.m. at CUH regarding
the final layout of the boardwalk trail through Yesler Swamp. The
permits and waivers have been granted, and now Friends of Yesler Swamp
needs to raise substantial money to build the boardwalk. As part of
the agreement, the Friends have committed to a very ambitious
mitigration plan, replacing the blackberry, ivy, and yellow iris with
native plants, over a 5-year span. If all goes as hoped, the swamp
will be a stunning example of what native swamps around the lake must
have looked like ages ago. I was originally concerned, as you know,
about the amount of habitat the boardwalk would eliminate, but this
plan means an overall net gain of native habitat. So I think the birds
will end up very happy. - Connie, Seattle

constancesidles at gmail.com
www.constancypress.com
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