Birds and book, days 152 - 155 (+ many photos)
It's not like I've not been around the last few days; I've just been busy/distracted/too tired to post. Now, of course, Thursday and Friday are blurs. I don't think the birds were particularly brilliant and I think the weather may have been fairly marginal. Thinking very hard, I remember that after fussing with the downspout on the south side of the house, I took an allergy pill on the way in to work on Thursday morning; I proceeded to be sleepy and filled with despair for the rest of the day. That was the morning that work started on the neighbor's drain; there's now a big hole in their driveway and a ton (likely literally) of concrete and dirt piled up on the grass in my side yard. Before I left for work Thursday, the foreman asked if it would be okay for them to put some plywood on the grass so that they could operate the backhoe from it. "Sure," I said. I came home, tired and stressed out Thursday evening, to find it close to impossible to get through the side yard, what with all the piles of crap. Friday morning I said, "Say, I thought you were putting a backhoe on the plywood, not all the contents from beneath the drive." The foreman said that had been the plan but his guys misunderstood. We had an exchange then that consisted of him being vague about how long it would be before it was gone again but promising me that the grass underneath would be fine and me using the word "inconvenient" several times. Alas, it was all still there Friday night, too, and it's still there now.
Yesterday, however, was the UW School of Medicine hooding ceremony which the devoted Imaginary Reader will remember is when the fourth years transition from students to residents / doctors. This year the keynote speaker wasn't particularly fabulous and the actual hooding ceremony was a circus with far too many students on stage at the same time, not knowing where they were going. Happily, those who aren't regular hooding attendees likely didn't notice just how screwed up it was though part of me wonders if the lower level of decorum on the part of the audience resulted from the lack of solemnity of the ceremony. The Hippocratic Oath was nice, though, and the students' award speeches were actually quite moving. If nothing else, the rushed proceedings got me out of Hec Ed and to the Fill an hour earlier than usual.
And what a Day at the Fill it was! Two new birds and though I couldn't say how many life birds I have, it's still exciting to see new ones. The usually shy and retiring marsh wrens had thrown modesty to the winds and were sitting on top of cattails and other plants, not so much singing as bleating, presumably for food. I think they were all fledglings. Eli (who joined me after finishing up his robe-related duties) spotted an otter in the lake and, a few hours later, it came swimming by us as we were standing on the dock by the shellhouse. "Look! Right in front of you! Down! DOWN!" I directed Eli. We really need to learn how to tell each other where to look since Eli's directionals for me when he spotted a pair of cedar waxwings had me staring into the distant field when I was supposed to be looking in a nearby tree. Happily, I worked it out in time to see the fledgling waxwing being fed and Eli was able to watch the otter swim out of sight.
In addition to our new birds (Virginia rail and cinnamon teal for those who can't wait for the list), we made the fascinating discovery that crows fish. We'd noticed them skittering about on the water oddly but it wasn't until we looked at the photos last night that we saw the little fish in one of the crow's mouth. The other, more useful discovery of the day was that it is quite practical to take a break after an hour or two to walk over to Queen Mary's for a restorative lunch and then return to the Fill to finish the loop in leisurely fashion. Eli pronounced the chicken with two mustards fine while I found the chicken pot pie excellent. The tea and cake were also lovely.
Birds (all days combined and though many came yesterday at the Fill the first sixteen were West Seattle birds though certainly most were also seen at the Fill)
American goldfinches
house finches
house sparrows
white-crowned sparrows
bushtits
black-capped chickadees
pine siskins
robins
crows
gulls
starlings
pigeons
northern flickers
Steller's jay
Anna's hummingbird
Bewick's wren
Virginia rail
Canada geese
ospreys
cinnamon teal
gadwalls
mallards
northern shoveler
coots
savannah sparrows
great blue herons
pied-billed grebe
redwinged blackbirds
cedar waxwings
downy woodpecker
bald eagles
barn swallows
tree swallows
marsh wrens
Book
The Pursuit of Love page 155
I really don't know why it should be impossible for me to have focused properly but I still like this little wren, which I am calling Marsh.
And I'm calling this one the same though they were two distinct individuals.
The adults were like secret servicemen, guarding the young goslings.
The otter (which seems a little less sleek than its zoo cousins but I don't think it's a nutria).
It was a day for young birds; this one is a fledgling redwinged blackbird.
While this is a presumably adult crow, with a tiny fish that will never grow up to be anything now.
Back to the happier fledgling series, a young cedar waxwing
Of unknown age, but we're pretty sure it's a Virginia rail.
Undeniably youthful, a very sweet, very young savannah sparrow
But what about those young marsh wrens?
One osprey was minding his own business atop the lights when the second one decided it should be chased off. I've no idea why.
Meanwhile, a second savannah sparrow because they're just s darned cute.
Exit bald eagle, pursued by crow.
Barn swallow, low over the pond
Brief flower interlude...forget-me-nots
Goose and gosling redux
Lots of lovely iris at the Fill, too.
Yesterday, however, was the UW School of Medicine hooding ceremony which the devoted Imaginary Reader will remember is when the fourth years transition from students to residents / doctors. This year the keynote speaker wasn't particularly fabulous and the actual hooding ceremony was a circus with far too many students on stage at the same time, not knowing where they were going. Happily, those who aren't regular hooding attendees likely didn't notice just how screwed up it was though part of me wonders if the lower level of decorum on the part of the audience resulted from the lack of solemnity of the ceremony. The Hippocratic Oath was nice, though, and the students' award speeches were actually quite moving. If nothing else, the rushed proceedings got me out of Hec Ed and to the Fill an hour earlier than usual.
And what a Day at the Fill it was! Two new birds and though I couldn't say how many life birds I have, it's still exciting to see new ones. The usually shy and retiring marsh wrens had thrown modesty to the winds and were sitting on top of cattails and other plants, not so much singing as bleating, presumably for food. I think they were all fledglings. Eli (who joined me after finishing up his robe-related duties) spotted an otter in the lake and, a few hours later, it came swimming by us as we were standing on the dock by the shellhouse. "Look! Right in front of you! Down! DOWN!" I directed Eli. We really need to learn how to tell each other where to look since Eli's directionals for me when he spotted a pair of cedar waxwings had me staring into the distant field when I was supposed to be looking in a nearby tree. Happily, I worked it out in time to see the fledgling waxwing being fed and Eli was able to watch the otter swim out of sight.
In addition to our new birds (Virginia rail and cinnamon teal for those who can't wait for the list), we made the fascinating discovery that crows fish. We'd noticed them skittering about on the water oddly but it wasn't until we looked at the photos last night that we saw the little fish in one of the crow's mouth. The other, more useful discovery of the day was that it is quite practical to take a break after an hour or two to walk over to Queen Mary's for a restorative lunch and then return to the Fill to finish the loop in leisurely fashion. Eli pronounced the chicken with two mustards fine while I found the chicken pot pie excellent. The tea and cake were also lovely.
Birds (all days combined and though many came yesterday at the Fill the first sixteen were West Seattle birds though certainly most were also seen at the Fill)
American goldfinches
house finches
house sparrows
white-crowned sparrows
bushtits
black-capped chickadees
pine siskins
robins
crows
gulls
starlings
pigeons
northern flickers
Steller's jay
Anna's hummingbird
Bewick's wren
Virginia rail
Canada geese
ospreys
cinnamon teal
gadwalls
mallards
northern shoveler
coots
savannah sparrows
great blue herons
pied-billed grebe
redwinged blackbirds
cedar waxwings
downy woodpecker
bald eagles
barn swallows
tree swallows
marsh wrens
Book
The Pursuit of Love page 155
I really don't know why it should be impossible for me to have focused properly but I still like this little wren, which I am calling Marsh.
And I'm calling this one the same though they were two distinct individuals.
The adults were like secret servicemen, guarding the young goslings.
The otter (which seems a little less sleek than its zoo cousins but I don't think it's a nutria).
It was a day for young birds; this one is a fledgling redwinged blackbird.
While this is a presumably adult crow, with a tiny fish that will never grow up to be anything now.
Back to the happier fledgling series, a young cedar waxwing
Of unknown age, but we're pretty sure it's a Virginia rail.
Undeniably youthful, a very sweet, very young savannah sparrow
But what about those young marsh wrens?
One osprey was minding his own business atop the lights when the second one decided it should be chased off. I've no idea why.
Meanwhile, a second savannah sparrow because they're just s darned cute.
Exit bald eagle, pursued by crow.
Barn swallow, low over the pond
Brief flower interlude...forget-me-nots
Goose and gosling redux
Lots of lovely iris at the Fill, too.