Month: May 2013

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Spring is an exciting, crazy time to be birdwatching in the Pacific Northwest; you never know what to expect. Most of the birds that overwinter (the Grebes, Goldeneyes, Mergansers, etcetera) have left. Many birds making long treks to breeding areas are passing through. A few of our summer residents have returned. Although the shorebird migration is definitely the most spectacular part of the migration since birds are concentrated in a few areas, songbird migrations are equally fascinating, just a lot harder to photograph.

Theler Wetlands was near bursting with warblers on a recent Sunday, though it was much easier to hear them than to get pictures of them. This male Myrtle Yellow-Rumped Warbler in breeding colors sat still long enough to get his picture taken.

Since the pond at Theler was drained I’ve seen a number of new birds there, but I’ve never seen a Least Sandpiper there before.

After getting my second shot of a Least Sandpiper for the second time in as many weeks, I was beginning to wonder of there is a larger than usual influx of them this year.

I also caught sight of a seldom-seen male Cinnamon Teal on the creek.

The “highlight” of the day, though, was this shot of a Sora,

my first sighting ever even though it’s a common summer-resident at Theler. I wouldn’t have seen this one if it hadn’t been for Shawn. As you can perhaps tell from the photo, it was in heavy shade and barely visible most of the time except for the bright yellow beak. I’ve been back twice with much better light and looked for it but still haven’t seen it, not surprising since I hadn’t seen it the first five years I visited Theler.

I see swallows all the time, but that’s a good thing. For me it’s a sure sign that Summer is near. Few things make me feel better than having swallows, whether Tree Swallows

or Barn Swallows

buzzing me while walking down the trail, even if I’ve only manage to get shots of them sitting on the boardwalk railing.

It’s been a hectic, stressful couple of weeks around here broken up by a few delightful moments. Ted’s Memorial was last Saturday, followed by Mother’s day on Sunday, and Ted’s Birthday on Monday, which seemed a lot like the Devil’s Trifecta to me. Thankfully, Paul and Margaux stayed with us two nights, as did Mira.

Needless to say, Mira wasn’t about to sit around the house for two days remembering Ted, so we found ways to entertain her to and to divert ourselves. She really wanted to walk to the Zoo, but we convinced her that it would be almost as much fun to walk down and see the Rhododendron Garden. I doubt she was entirely convinced, but once we started walking she seemed quite happy holding Paul’s hand.

Nothing like an enthused five-year old to enliven a walk in the sun, even if we couldn’t convince Leslie to totally disconnect from the world for awhile.

It would be hard to imagine a nicer day, cool enough to walk comfortably,

while sunlit Rhodies dazzle.

The next day we spent the afternoon at Cory and Margarets’ house where everyone took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather to enjoy the Sound.

It’s hard to beat a combination of sunshine, water and exercise to lift your spirits.

Though Leslie claims to be an introvert, the last few weeks have shown she’s certainly more of an extrovert than me. I did enjoy getting together with several of Ted’s best friends but I found the memorial exhausting and, no matter how enjoyable each day turned out to be, I needed all the time alone I could find to sort out my feelings or to simply escape from having to think at all.

Every time I think I have all this stuff all sorted out and resolved in my head, the rashes on my hands and feet tell me otherwise and dreams wake me in the middle of the night to discover Leslie laying there awake.

Meanwhile Low’s new album The Invisible Way

serves as background music for much of the time I spend at the computer. I’m not sure if it reinforces or alleviates the sadness I feel, but it certainly resonates with me at the moment and that’s enough for me at the moment.