With fine weather on Friday and Saturday - (I have all 3 day weekends) I spent a lot of time in the yard cleaning up branches, raking/mulching, weeding out nettle and blackberries and having a good time in the garden. Things were quite birdy. I had all of my usual suspects: Song, Fox, WC, WThr,sparrows; Purple, House and Cassin's finch, Pine Siskins, over 100 Red Crossbills, BC, CB, and Mountain Chickadee, Flicker, RB Sapsucker, Downy woodpecker, Anna's hummers (watching for that first Rufous). Coopers Hawk, my first Sharp Shinned in this yard, Red Tailed, Bald Eagle, Red Shouldered, Saw Whet Owls (3), Western Screech, Great Horned (across the creek), Barred, and NoPyg Owl - out of the yard but just down the street near the highway (near 192nd and HWY 15 - North Side mitigation pond - SE Owl and a TV Flyover, peeps, mallards, Gadwall and overhead both Cackling and Taverners Canada Goose. My Annas are activing like they are nest building - I've put out moss, speider web and feathers stripped from the shaft for them. I have both Steller's and Scub Jays coming every day for peanuts. I had a RW Blackbird pair come in for seed today. Red Breasted nuthatchs could start up a bird band if it just needed a honking section. I have gull flyovers that I can't identify. I am still hearing California Quail, but still think it is starlings having a go at my sanity. Best bird today was a mountain Bluebird soaking up the 5 minuts of sun from an elder tree. Great Blue Heron and SandHill Crane flyovers pretty regularly. I had a quick flythorough by a mixed flock of butterbuts, both kinglets, an OC warbler and 40 bushtits who covered the suet feeder like ants on an overly ripe peach. Band tailed pigeons, EC Doves and Mourning Doves make visits most days. 50 robins, 20 varied thrushes, spotted towhees patrol the ground under the fever and keep it pretty viable seed free. Waxwings have cleared the red berries, and a Raven stopped by for a drink. 2 pairs of Bewicks wrens alread seem to be checking nest ing spots (early?). Both Hermit and Swainsons thrushes have passes trough - the Hermit to have a bath in the waterfall. Beyond the yard down below me I can see 2 types of swallow flying in small groups (Barn and I think and VG). The flicker started his metal banger serenade this morning.. I have several "iffy" sparrows, some duck flyovers (pintail, scaup, and wood) and maybe a good sapsucker - but I need more positive ID's before reporting those

Rob Conway
My 3/4 acre on Sierra Lane, Camas, WA
45.58?N 122.44?W - elevation 310 ft.
robin_birder at hotmail.com