I was walking along the Salmon creek trail when birdsong distracted me. I stepped off to a smaller side path and suddenly found myself surrounded by birds. The loudest were the starlings, who sang so many different tunes it was hard to keep track of.Then I saw bushtits, robins, and a golden-crowned kinglet. I heard Northern flickers. A couple of pileated woodpeckers crawled up a nearby trunk. Chickadees were scolding in the trees. The magical moment was broken by someone jogging on the trail with his dog. Later I saw a bushtit collecting nesting material and a couple of brown creepers chasing each other around a tree trunk. I think the birds haven't looked at the calendar, because in their minds it's spring.