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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Today there was still a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW
lingering at the community garden at Starker Park, along with loads of singing
WHITE-CROWNED and GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROWS. One thing I like about
Golden-crowns is their seemingly careless attitude about singing. Unlike
the very precise and clear White-crowns singing everywhere around the
garden, the Golden-crowns' notes always quaver and they sometimes just seem
to run out of steam halfway through their "Oh dear me." Some WESTERN
BLUEBIRDS were hanging around, and a male was more or less "singing" by
stringing together a rapid series of "few" notes. Ms. HOODED MERGANSER was
down at the duck pond where she likes to hang out with the domestic and wild
ducks. We've seen her eating bread that people bring! At first she
seemed puzzled by the other ducks' enthusiasm for this odd white spongy
substance. Now she gobbles down bread that people feed her (in fact,
she's quicker and less timid than some of the professional
bread-snarfing domestic ducks!), and I'm sure many people don't even
realize they're feeding a fish-eating duck. I hope that she
does OK with that as part of her diet. She still catches fish
for the majority of her diet, I think. Peanut Queen the WESTERN SCRUB-JAY
seems to be working on her nest, so that leaves her mate Mr. Shy to do
most of the peanut collecting these days. It's wonderful to see loads of
VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS around now, and an OSPREY visits the duck pond to
catch carp now and then.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>I rode through Pioneer Park and was delayed on
my way downtown by a forcefield of cuteness. First there was
an ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD sitting on her tiny little lichen and spiderweb
nest. Her nest is right above a hummingbird buffet, a
lush patch of Sessile Trilliums and Large Camas, with Yellow Wood Violets
and Fringe-Cups scattered around. Contributing an unfair share
of the cuteness were two Townsend's Chipmunks, calling and
chasing one another wildly. Western Gray Squirrels chased and leaped along
the branches while an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER sang and darted around
catching little bugs. A BROWN CREEPER peeped in alarm as the squirrels
raced up the tree he was using. A pair of BUSHTITS appeared to be
collecting nesting material. Venturing into a cute zone like this one
causes a localized time warp. By the time I escaped, I was almost late
meeting a friend for lunch. A dangerous place indeed!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV>For pictures see: <A
href="">http://groups.google.com/group/mid-valley-nature/browse_thread/thread/8154a4ece55e22a9</A>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Lisa</FONT></DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial><A
href="">www.neighborhood-naturalist.com</A></FONT></DIV></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial><A
href="http://groups.google.com/group/mid-valley-nature/browse_thread/thread/8154a4ece55e22a9"></A></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML>