Hey tweets, such a beautiful morning today, with the sun lighting up the treetops at dawn, each leaf limned in light, no breath of wind. A BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK was singing in the tall cottonwoods of the grove kittycorner from the kiosk. Normally I call this the alder grove, because most of the trees are alders. But the tallest ones are cottonwoods, so what's a wordsmith to do? In those same trees, a female YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER has been foraging diligently for the past several days and was at it again today. I think we might have a breeder!

Many, many swallows are breeding this year, a welcome change from years past. I checked out the Cliff Swallow community under the IMA building and did find a few active nests, but the main apartment complex must be elsewhere - there were more than 50 Cliffs swooping over Main Pond this morning. The Cliffs may have joined the Barn Swallows in the old wooden boathouse near the Conibear crew center, or perhaps they are coming across Union Bay from under the 520 bridge. Kayakers have told me there are Cliff Swallows nesting here again as well.

Marsh Wrens are also doing quite well this year, as they have been for the past several years. Not all of them nest in marshes - some are out in the grasslands and sloughs too. A passle of baby wrens appeared near SW Pond yesterday, along with a family of Bewick's Wrens nearby. The babies' bills aren't quite full-size yet, making them all look very young and out of proportion, much like teenagers.

Here is a poem for you today:

On the longest day of the year,
the red dawn rising,
a bright Marsh Wren flits in the light above the lily pads,
like gold dust dancing.

--Connie, Seattle

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