April 22

Rain.  I hear it hit the roof outside as I awaken.  Still, I get up, go get my daily coffee, and wind my way through the neighborhood toward the Lake.  It's all one-way traffic now, so if I want to see any one spot in particular, I have to back-track through the neighborhood first.

I see a lone eagle cross to the eastern side of the lake.  Nearer to shore, three wigeons are foraging on the lawn: two females and one male, but I do think the larger flock has migrated.  Perhaps these three decided to become year-round locals.  They are with a lone male Gadwall.

Next along, a carp or catfish, is breaching the surface of the water; I've been looking for them, so was excited by the sighting, alas, it was the only one.  Near the fishing docks, an osprey flies overhead, fish in talons, no eagle to intercept.  Assuming it made it safely to the nest.  A pair of Wood ducks swims under the dock in front of me.  Also, the coffee stand is open today.  Been closed.  I didn't go close enough to read the sign (probably says "one customer at a time.")  The nearby Starbuck's has re-opened as well, though only for mobile pick-ups. Big banner out front, green balloons marking the proper entrance.

The water level seemed low, it's been dry for the past month.  Steady rain all day.  I was soaked by the time I made it back home.  But the people were sparse, and air was clean and balsam-y from the cottonwoods, leafing out in orange-tinged green.  No cotton fluff, yet.  Allergies getting a bit of a break from the rain.

Birds, Birds, Birds

April 21.  Bird fun of the morning walk.  I see a large bird fly low, from the Lake into the neighborhood.  It seems small for an eagle at first glance.  A little while later, I hear the tell-tale cry of an American Bald Eagle, and look over to see a dark lump high in a douglas fir, two crows swooping and diving at it.  While they take a time out, two more come over to harass the eagle, but get bored and quickly move along to other trees.  I think there might've been a crow's nest in the fir.  The eagle flies off to another tree, unimpeded.

Some minutes on, I walk to the end of the fishing dock to look around, see if any carp are around.  I catch sight of an osprey just as it folds its wings back to make a dive at the water.  Often they seem to just practice, but this one hits the water, and when it rises back up, I can see a small fish in it's talons.  It flies toward nearby trees, but out-of-the blue an eagle comes in for a steal, and the two maneuver low in the sky, below the treetops.  The osprey drops the fish to the ground before flying back over the water.  The eagle drops down to the ground.  I run over to see what happened, but can't find the fish, I did see it drop.  The eagle flies off after crows harass it.  Either the crows or the eagle took the fish.  I look up, and the eagle has vanished, two osprey circle high above the water.  Crows look down at me from a tree, then go back to gathering nesting material.

April 20.  The American Wigeons have definitely left.  I haven't seen them in over a week.  Last saw them on April 10, before the Lake was closed for Easter weekend.  We walked a wide berth around the Lake on the following Monday afternoon, but the weather was nice, and the crowds had returned, so we kept our distance, and I didn't notice the wigeons.

April 17.  Hear a commotion up in the trees.  A pair of woodpeckers (hairy? downy?) are battling with a pair of nuthatches over a tree cavity nest.  The woodpeckers win, the female inside the hole, cleaning it out, and tossing sawdust over the edge.  I've been back since, but haven't seen them again.

April 13-16.  Morning walks.  I've been walking through the neighborhood more than the Lake, but one of the mornings, saw ducklings again.  Near the boating docks.  Chasing down the low-hovering mosquitos, removing them from the air voraciously, one at a time.

April 8.  I hear the high-pitched cries of ducklings, and walk toward the water to see two new babies swimming along the shoreline, in the safety of the overhang.

April 7. First sighting of an osprey.  Crows that sneak in and steal my seeds, eat them in a tree.  Stellar jay, robins, starlings, wigeons still here.