Green and Orange

 Top o' the March to ya!

Happy St Patrick's Day (Week). I somehow managed to convince myself that St Patrick's Day was on Wednesday instead of Tuesday. To the point where I told Allan "St Patrick's Day is tomorrow" on the 17th and gave her quite a disappointment on March 18th. I thought she'd never recover, but actually she did within about fifteen minutes, aside from occasionally retelling her tale of horror to various teachers and classmates for the rest of the week. 

Tragedy aside, she did commission a collaborative St Patrick's bird art project, as seen above. That's an American Robin and a "red" breasted nuthatch. She wanted "orange" birds because she recognizes her Irish-Protestant roots as it turns out. I did the grass, tree and nuthatch. She did everything else, of course. 

Speaking of feisty birds who can emulate a little nuthatch pose:

Steller's jays continue to make cameos on our walks. 

They also showed up in full loud buzzing glory when we visiting Sedro Wooley this weekend. Allan heard one while playing. Then we went outside and hear at least two, clearly chatting with each other (I could not say the tone of the chatter) from distant tree tops. We found the nearest one in a very tall evergreen at the head of the property. It hopped up the tree handily all the while making shook-shookshookshook noises and occasionally the ugly jay buzzer noise.

They are... goofy. And full of noises. Hard to locate a lot of the time for such a loud flipping bird, but always about. 

Not quite as about as the crows, but they also seem a little less interested in developing a particular relationship with us. 

The geese are also not particularly covetous of further engagement. Well, actually, maybe... the last time we saw them, they swam up very close to where Allan was standing and just kind of chilled there. I surmise they are accustomed to some level of feeding. 

Unfortunately for us and them, I am a little more respectful of the signs demanding that we not feed the wildlife in that park when it's waterfowl. My reasoning isn't particularly logical or rigorous, other than, "well, I'm feeding the crows - they're my bros!" I also don't think Canada geese eat peanuts. 

That said, I will do what I can to make my little Suburdia hospitable to all. (Suburdia is a phrase coined by John Marzloff, the ornithologist who turned me onto crows and ravens and who recently wrote a really beautiful book about the way the suburbs actually host some of the highest density and diversity of birds in the Northern hemisphere and how we can mix urban planning and conservation to create thriving ecologies... I like it!)

Although, this plan was set in motion a ways back and motivated by Allan. While I have generally been fervently against grass (deathly allergic and lawnmowers noises make me cry) and pro-native plants (wait, they just grow without a lot of fussing because they evolved to do so and they're better for the local fauna?) for years, Allan has been more specifically motivated in cultivating an inviting garden for hummingbirds. So, we did a little research and made some tentative choices. Then went to the nursery and let the guy there tell us what we actually were going to plant. It worked out, I think. They seem pretty knowledgeable there and the plants seem to be alive after a week. Fingers crossed! 

Tragically, we aren't allowed to just do whatever we want. The HOA is busy-bodied, pedantic and vexingly vigilant. My strategy of the last several years is to just let "weeds" and clover scatter frequently, celebrate the massive messes of yards that crows can make, and hope eventually the lawn will just get outcompeted by more abled local plants. Of course, I now am aware of the horrors of certain invasive weeds so maybe I care harder than I did before, but to some extent those weeds are still better than grass to me. To a point. 

Fortunately, shorter plants that change less than 30% of our total yard are allowed without a bureacratic ado. And the new King Edward Flowering Currant that we've planted in the backyard isn't taking up much... right now... When it does eventually, it won't do it all at once, but gradually. Who's to say if and when it ever crosses a 30% threshold? 

I did not get a bunch of photos because I was also outside doing things with soil (and itching and sniffling a lot because damn I am allergic to the outdoors whenever the rain lets up). But Allan was enthusiastic to help, which is cool for our self-proclaimed "indoor child" who used to sob and cry at the indignity of walking 8 minutes to school in less than perfect weather. 

We also snagged some "mini snags" by which I really just mean random branches from the Gaines-Englett property. Birds and tons of other animals really like dead and dying wood. Turns out that decaying wood improves soil structure, boosts nutrient, controls erosion, regulates moisture, and provides a home for life ranging from insects to fungi to plant life. So, you know, suck it HOA!

We hid them on the side of our house where the HOA can't see it and where only our neighbor might. Given his yard is a desolate crow-mound wasteland I think he doesn't care if we add a few licheny logs. I also am not sure it's technically violating any policies, but err on the side of caution and just keep it hidden. I might just buy a Christmas tree this year and let it decompose on that side of the house as a holly jolly gift to the birds over there. 

While we were out there, I took the opportunity to scatter yet another bag of Northwest wildflowers in any open areas (and a few that I dug up a bit haphazardly). I am determined that nature will have the last say. Although, our neighbor has a blackberry bush growing in his back area, and we have several plants popping up that google isn't totally sure about but all options do look invasive, so invasive plants might also have a say.

Hopefully all this planting and whatnot has come in time for spring and we'll get some blooms out of the new plants. And yes, isn't it officially spring today or some time close?

 The birds think it is... 

For a long time I thought maybe goldfinches don't come around here, and I don't think they did as often as the house finches did over winter. But recently they've been a little more obvious! Like a lot of birds, goldfinches have a much duller plumage for part of the year, followed by a really vibrant dressed-for-da-club look. The goldfinch males will eventually be canary yellow with black heads. But right now, they're mostly in transition. It's fun to see these little olive finchies start bursting out with bright sections of color!

Not that color is everything. Basic black with some ultravoilet highlights is eternally chic. No shade. 

Works just fine in spring. 

In duplicate even! Lovely, lovely. 

The baes are about as always. A bit more playful. Making some more very strange noises. 

We watched one of the crows - we've dubbed him Croaky due to his naturally lower voice and tendency to make noises one would expect more from a raven - doing some vocal stimming earlier this week. For about a half hour, this crow-bro just alternated between a very satisfying rattling noise and a good loud caw. Croaky has also - I swear - made both pigeon noises and bok-a-bok chicken noises. It's also possibile that Croaky is multiple crows and just our name for any funny sounding crow. Without a capture and release banding program, my crow ID is only good with the really noticeably different ones like Sneezy.

Of course Crows still aren't really spring birds.

Neither really are Bushtits...

Or robins, despite the reputation. They are both here throughout the year, although the bushits were a little less common when it got really cold. The robins actually showed up en masse here in mid Winter. 

This varied thrush, though, might be a bit more of a  harbinger of spring! Or not. Cornell says they like the forests year round but can be seen in parks and the like more in Winter. Harbinger of winter? They sure don't look that way with that bright orange plumage! From what I'm reading they are very similar to robins in most ways, which make sense because robins are closely related thrushes as well. 

Perhaps the brewer's blackbirds we saw in a parking lot in Sedro? Naw, apparently those also are fairly well known for just lolling about in golf courses, lawns, and city streets about the west.

Probably not the five eagles we saw while driving to and from Sedro either. But they were beautiful. 

The geese, though, maybe a little. And the swans. We saw swans in one of the flooded fields. That seems springish!?!

Well how about this little bugger? Double crested cormorants are often seen diving in lakes and ponds in spring and this one is definitely doing so!

Look at me look at me I'm a dinosaur!!! Yes, we know, we know. So's the mallard next to you, buddy. 

Unlike most birds, cormorants wings are not as heavily water proofed by design. This allows them to dive more quickly as the water saturates their wings and makes them heavier. But it seems to require a lot more work drying out between dives. 

Based on their coloring this one is still very young, so I'm not sure if it'll be building nests and whatnot. but it is a welcome sight on our little lake. 

At any rate, no rain in the forecast today so I am looking forward to a long bout of staying indoors followed by a heavily medicated and fully masked little walk to visit the birdies later on. 

I hope you official spring is blossoming and finding its breeding plumage!