Hey tweets, we got a bonus day today from the weather service, who predicted rain showers instead of cloudless skies. What a glorious day, made even more so by the aerobatics of both TREE and VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS as they foraged for insects invisible to the human or binocular eye. Amazing that they can catch enough calories to make their continuous flying worthwhile.

It?s always a contest (at least in my mind) as to which swallow will arrive first. For many places in the state, Violet-greens are the usual winners, but at the Fill, almost always it?s the Trees. So it proved this year as well, when 3 Trees showed up five days ago, and the Violet-greens only yesterday.

Everything points to spring now, doesn?t it? The feeding flocks of LBJs are breaking up - I saw two Bushtits checking out the bushes in the Dime Lot for potential nest hanging sites. The Yellow-rumped Warblers are starting to get really bright, with a couple of males today simply stunning in their butteriness. A passing Merlin tried for a bite but missed, although its passing did silence the bird chorus for a while. Then it started up again in full voice, as if the birds simply cannot help themselves - gotta sing.

One very amusing sight: a Spotted Towhee invisible under the bushes, the only sign of his presence the leaves that came shooting out like missiles from the mulch he was scratching through to find food.

There are still some remnant signs of winter. The crows, for example, have taken to gathering in substantial numbers (200+) to bathe together in the gigantic potholes along Douglas Road - no pairing off of the crows as yet. BTW, I should warn you if you plan on coming to see the crow spa: These potholes are so big, some have joined to form Pangeas of potholes. Navigating around them without tearing out my car?s undercarriage is quite a challenge. But the crows and robins love them, so I guess I should feel grateful that nobody is grading that road.

Here is a poem for you today:

The vault of sky in winter seems empty
without swallows.
Clouds?however pretty?
are not alive,
cannot chortle
as did two Tree Swallows today.

-Connie, Seattle

constancesidles at gmail.com
www.constancypress.com