April 2022

Still a wet prairie pond out in front of Stewart Pond Park, but there was just this lone shore bird hanging out there.

A far, far away Red Wing Blackbird.

And a bad pic of a Bewick Wren.

Sighs. There are just some days when I just can't get a good pic of any wildlife that comes along!

Good luck finding the Ruby Crowned Kinglet in this pic!

*laughs*

At least I can take decent pics of the plants! Here's some blooming trillium.

I really like the pink tulips.

And I really like these two, who were barking at me while I took pictures of tulips!

*laughs*

xxx Aww, this is awesome!

These second-graders helped shelter pups find their fur-ever homes https://www.npr.org/2022/04/01/1090057426/these-second-graders-helped-shelter-pups-find-their-fur-ever-homes And the drawings are amazing!

Yay! It's the first Saturday Market of the year... which means I'm heading out to the Farmers Market to buy Vegetable starts for the Community Garden plot!

The nights are still pretty chilly, so I'm sticking with cool season crops... Sugar Snap Peas, Lettuce, and Beets.

I scraped away the winter covering of mulch, and you can see how muddy it is, even with no rain!

This fellow came to check on me. *laughs* I think I'll call him Silhouette Hummer!

I wonder if he's the father of our nest of babies.

and, yep. No doubt now, there's two of them...

(Be sure to right-click and Open Image in New Tab, to see a bigger version of that pic... it's kind of hard to tell what you're looking at here, but that's an open beak behind the front baby hummer's face sticking up!)

Forget Me Not's are blooming.

I go into the Community Garden to check on the veges I planted yesterday. They are good!

Oh! a Black Phoebe! (dang it, a blurry photo.)

I've been seeing Black Phoebes now and then, this year... it's interesting because they are a bit outside their usual range which is all thru Mexico and up the coast of California. I suppose they are shifting north due to climate change.

Okay, these are so pretty I really need to look them up! They came in all kinds of colours, pinks and reds and purples and mixed with white.

Ah! here we are...

∞ Wikipedia, Anemone

Two beaks and a pile of baby feathers.

Happy that there's some rain today!

And Happy to keep seeing the Wood Duck pair at the creek.

I haven't seen Mama Hummer lately. But she's obviously doing her job! Our babies are growing!

Ha. Just hanging out on the bench.

Here's a Eurasian Collared Dove.

You can't see their collar because it is just on the back of their neck. Invasive, of course. But I don't know if they cause any problems.

All doves are beautiful and have lovely songs. But the song of the Collared Dove makes me laugh sometimes! They are just so frantic about it! They try to coo as fast as they can!

Some blue green feathers are starting to come out on the backs of the hummer babies!

Pretty Apple Blossoms.

Artsy!

And more Artsy!

The Crows are very social with me today.

And then, on the way back home... AWWW! Look! Babies eyes are starting to open!!

I'm going up Hidden Trail today... but to get there I have to walk over a mile thru the neighborhoods. And I am happy to take pics of flowers in people's yards!

And here we are at the Hidden Trail.

Fawn Lilies are blooming!

This Flicker was so intent on whatever bugs he was finding, he barely noticed me, even tho I must have been watching him for five minutes or so!

The peas I planted on the 2nd are still alive!

This garden plot at the back of the Community Garden has an Easter Tree, and a cool variety of Daffodils!

Are the Bluebirds nesting here or not? I can't tell.

And then I continue my walk.

Oh my gosh! The Hummer babies are starting to look like real birds (instead of little monsters)!! *laughs*

We gotta stretch! Blurry, but so adorable!

Gosh, it's hard to get comfortable anymore!

Cracks me up that the baby on the left is closing her one eye... Don't hit me in the face, please! heh.

Some baby leaves.

And the first ducklings of the season! Yay the cuteness!

There were 6 babies all together!

Teaching how to dabble...

And then on the way back, the Hummer babies have finally arranged themselves comfortably.

Oh wow, I love all the colours and textures in this pic!

Dry spillover...

Oh, cool! The Sliders never come this close to the bridge! He got a good look at me and then sank himself and walked along the bottom of the pond!

Aw, cute!

My meditation spot...

A blurry Bushtit.

And a less blurry but more upside down Bushtit! haha.

Just a pretty day!

Haha, when I first saw the Ospreys in the far away trees, I thought they were Bald Eagles!

Oh hey! What's going on??! Ca-Caw!

I guess it's just time to go flying!

The little patch of plantings at the Community Garden plot.

There's Sugar Snap Peas, both green and purple leaf lettuces, and some beets.

But the slugs have found the Sugar Snap Peas...

And someone else is munching on the lettuce, which is weird! I don't remember ever having a problem with the lettuce.

ha. Oh well, that's about how it goes in my garden plot!

And then I go visit the Hummer Nest...

I see Mama Hummer! It's the first time I've seen her in about two weeks... She's just been so busy getting the babies fed!

No pics, but she hovers and acknowledges my presence! :)

It rained over a half inch yesterday, and a bit more sprinkles today... and Look! The bike path under 11th is flooded!

I can't walk that way, but that's okay. I'll take pics of the yards in the neighborhood.

Our friend the Nutria is out on land... her burrows have probably flooded as well.

The wet prairie ponds have filled back up!

Just a glimpse of the pair of Wood Ducks. I wish they were less shy!

*laughs!*

And look at their feathers! Wow! I bet they start flying any day now!

Oh! First Camas Lilies are blooming!

And look who's watching me as I take pics of the Camas...

Oh, cool! There's a pair of killdeers running around in the parking lot behind the Events Center!

They were scooping up worms who had crawled up out of the grass.

Those eyebrows make them so worried looking!

Oh my gosh! Here's Mama Hummer with some extra fluff for the nest?

oh, haha... it's almost a family portrait. Family with fluff! :)

Okay. You babies need to scoot over just a little bit...

Mama tucks the fluff into the bottom of the nest. But I'm wondering why! The babies are almost ready to go... why do nest repairs now?

Mama leaves and the babies have to squirm around to get comfortable again.

Back to my walk. The pair of Killdeers are still at the Events Center.

One more look at the hummers on the way home.

Oh, haha. The one wants a look at me, too!

Well! This looks fun! I wish I had the guts to ask to join them!!

oh my gosh, what a goof!

The Rhododendron Garden is starting to fill up with colour!

And wildflowers out in the forest!

Hey! Who's this??! Dang it people! Keep the kitties inside!

Kitty? Oh Cute Kitty? Please go home... It's fixin' to rain!

The Hummingbird nest is empty! The babies have successfully fledged! Mama will continue to feed the kids, away from the nest, for another week or so.

Oh no! These ducklings look like they've just been born... and their Mama is being harassed by a male duck. She is trying to get away from the jerk, but can't just fly away from her babies. And the babies are all bunched up because they are scared and they are peeping in distress. :(

Wai! I wish I could just grab that drake and take him away so this family could have some peace.

Oh. Hello Mx Red Shoulder... would you like to eat a duck?

(Just kidding. The hawk would more likely eat the babies!)

Storms forecast today, but currently the water isn't quite high enough to get over the spillover.

:)

Aww! The first Goslings!!

*laughs* The Towhees are everywhere!

My meditation spot along the river... The sun is shining right now, but just wait!

What the... ??! There's a Bushtit nest, right on the path! I mean RIGHT on the path!! Literally, except for the blackberry vine hanging down, if I could walk at the edge of the path, I would bump my head on their nest!

This is crazy! What were the parents thinking?!

Here's Papa Bushtit, who has been angrily cheeping at me while I'm looking at their nest! Mama pops into the nest while I'm distracted. So it's definitely an active nest! Crazy!

On my way back, I decide to keep walking instead of heading to the car.

oops. I'm wandering thru the Rose Garden when it starts hailing! Just small hails, and then it's pouring down rain! I walk fast and take shelter under the nearby highway bridge, along with a few other people.

A three legged dog, Border Collie type, went around gathering pats from everyone, before she and her human moved on, out in the rain. :) I wish I'd taken a photo of that sweet dog!

The hard rain doesn't last long, and soon rain turns to sprinkles. And I head home.

I was looking at the oh so empty Hummingbird nest...

... And then I turned around and caught a glimpse of two hummers, who quickly buzzed back into the Rhody bushes! Aw! Were they the babies who wanted to tell me Look! We can fly! :)

A cute little Downy Woodpecker.

Dang it!

This will be the second year the Wood Ducks have stayed at the creek. (to make babies!) But they are still so shy... when they see me, they go and hide behind the nearest shrubbery!

Dang it, some more!

*laughs*

The Ornamental Cherry Blossoms have started blooming!

I love this article about swearing and language for Ukraine against Russia...

∞ How swearing became a weapon of resistance for Ukrainians Their enthusiastic use of bad language contrasts with Putin's linguistic prissiness... and shows that Russia doesn't own Russian

So interesting about cursing in the Russian language culture! And how Ukrainians and the Ukraine government is using swearing as another avenue to fight back ... and somehow it's dignified and funny and the whole world understands that Putin is a dickhead!

Oh, cool! Here's a female Green Wing Teal who gets to choose between two suitors!

They choose new partners each year and the males have a funny little dancing bow they do to show off to the females.

I also came across our Wood Duck pair... right when the group of three female Mergansers happened to paddle by.

The male Wood Duck isn't sure about the little Mergansers and he's kind of pushing them away. But the Mergansers are messing with him... One of them dives underneath the Wood Duck and comes up behind him! Nah nah! I'm not touching you! *laughs!*

Long suffering, but oh so pretty.

And on the way home...

Raining today, so I'm just walking in the neighborhood, taking pics of yards. I just love this one... so much colour!

And a Song Sparrow, who shakes off the rain and sings some more!

Another rainy day, and I am so pleased even tho I'm not able to take as many photos. February was so, so very dry... we won't catch up, I don't think, but at least we won't fall farther behind on rainfall.

Oh. This is interesting. I don't know who this is!

I had to get my book out! This is an Orange Crowned Warbler... and just like Ruby Crown Kinglets, their crowns are ordinarily hidden.

This is the most common western warbler and The very lack of conspicuous field marks is an aid to its identification! haha!

∞ Audubon Field Guide to North American Birds, Western Region

I have several field guides, but this one is my go-to when I don't have a clue about the bird!

It's easy to page thru the photos to find a new bird, and then I've got a starting point to learn more on the internets.

xxx ?

Tulips at one Community Garden plot.

And Pansies at another Community Garden plot.

uh oh! A House Sparrow... not someone we want moving in at the Bluebird nesting boxes at the garden!

The House Sparrows are invasive. That's not their fault, of course, but supposedly they take over the prime nesting spots.

But it's not a problem this time! Because there's several nesting boxes, and I think this pair of Western Bluebirds is using one.

A building storm cloud...

There's an apple tree, just outside the Community Garden.

Wow, look how cobwebby this lamp is... I can just imagine all the flying bugs swarming there at night!

Are we going after spiders for lunch?

Ah! No, not lunch! She's gathering nesting material!

Ha. So many blurry photos, and I still can't tell who this bird is! Is it the same Orange Crown Warbler that I saw the other day??

A European Honey Bee hive is swarming, right next to the bike path! There are bees in the air everywhere!

I wish I had paused longer to get more photos... this is so interesting. And I love being surrounded by the bees, who obviously have other things on their minds!

The nights have been warmer, and there's a break in the rain... and I am eager to get going with the garden!

At the beginning of April, I had planted Sugar Snap Peas, Lettuce, and Beets. The slugs ate a couple Lettuces to death, and of course the peas leaves look like postage stamps from munching... But that little patch of life in the back is actually doing pretty good, with the chill and the rain!

Today I visited my favorite farmer at Saturday Market and bought some baby plants. I got several kinds of squash... Zuc, Patty Pan, and Crook Neck. Another set of Sugar Snap Peas.

And an impulse buy... Eggplant!

I'm not a huge fan of eggplant fruit, but it might be interesting to grow. Plus, it's fun to say Aubergine! *laughs*

I got all the little plants into the ground and then I walked home.

Lilac is fixin' to bloom

And the Apple blossoms, again.

And the ornamental Cherry blossoms!

ARG! Last night it got down in the 30's... and the cold has killed most of the plants I put in yesterday!

Wai! The Eggplant!

So much for that experiment. The Eggplant will not recover, and most of the squashes are in the same state. Stupid weather!

Sighs.

A moody pic of the clouds over the Community Garden fence... but look at the pair of sweet House Finches!

hmmm? Who's this?

Oh, haha, you gave me a clue! Yellow Rumped Warbler! Must be a youngster!

Ducklings! But, oh no... that baby in the back is squinting his eye. Poor Baby! I wonder if he has that H5N1 bird flu that's going around. There haven't been any reports in Oregon yet, but that doesn't mean it's not going around!

Something artsy.

I LOVE the colours in this photo!! The Maple keys and the new leaves and the pale blue sky and the fluffy cloud. But little dude needs some pants! Bahaha!!

Okay... here we are at the Hidden Trail, which follows a little waterfall up the hill.

The Fawn Lilies are still blooming!

And Forget Me Not.

And Fringe Cups.

Oh! A White one!

Camas Lily bulbs are edible and nutritious... and ALL the foraging websites say to NEVER eat the white Camas Lily bulbs, because that's the poisonous Death Camas!

But when I looked it up... Death Camas looks NOTHING like a white Camas Lily. Ha!

I get that they are trying to keep stupid people alive. but, lordy lordy! Stupid people should def not be foraging for their food!

If you are not 100% sure about what something is, out in the wild... DO NOT EAT it! If you even have a shadow of a doubt, if you are even 99% sure... DON'T EAT it!

That's my soapbox, and you should def listen to what I'm saying!! :)

Oh, hey... There's a new male Anna Hummingbird on the other side of the Community Garden!

And I haven't seen our Wood Duck friends in a couple days!

A bit of water coming over the spillway!

So round and fluffy!

And... oh my god!

Bottom family has 13 babies, top family has 27! Twenty-Seven!!! This is insane!

My meditation spot.

I just love the Big Leaf Maples!

I've not seen anything of the Bushtits, the last couple times I've been out. And so I figured the nest was done.

oh. oops! Nest is def not done. Here's the male to yell at me again!

Sorry! Sorry! That was so rude of me! Sorry!

An artsy starling. And the next photos are of a spider... you have been warned! :)

Here's someone who caught my attention on the bike path.

Wow, isn't she beautiful! And because of her colour and shape, I was able to figure out her species!

A Woodlouse Spider!

oh... but she's also called a Pill Bug Hunter! Poor little Roly Polies!!

She was using her arm to cover up her face, but you can kind of see how huge her jaws are in this pic. She needs that power to cut thru the Roly Poly shell!

So interesting and amazing!!

And ducklings! I am pretty sure this is the same family of three where the one baby was squinting.

So cute!

I also went into the Community Garden to gaze at the stupid dead plants. I need to plan my attack... what vege starts will I buy at Saturday Farmers Market tomorrow, are the nights warm enough yet to actually plant anything, etc.

A quick run to the Saturday Farmers Market... where I realized... Strawberries!

Strawberries aren't going to mind the cold or the damp! Slugs don't usually eat the leaves (tho they will eat the fruit). But maybe I can keep a couple of Strawberry plants alive in the garden!

The kind I got are called Albion Strawberries which are supposed to be everbearing. We shall see how it goes!

Too muddy to plant anything today, so I head to the Rose Garden along the river. No roses yet, of course, but it is still lovely there!

And then out to walk along the river...

Def time to check out the Osprey nest platform... Oh Yeah! You can just see a parent's head up there!

I walk all the way to Alton Baker Park. That round yellow thing is the Sun, part of a scale model of the solar system!

There are several families with goslings! There are babies everywhere!

The fence surrounds a duck pond to keep the birds safe from dogs... the babies can just barely get under the fence.

There's tree stuff that's fallen on the sidewalk that the babies are interested in.

The parents keep their eyes on me... Hey human, you be good!

Yep, I'm good. I stay still and quiet and the babies come closer to me.

oop! The dog on the leash is kept far away, but the goose parents are worried. They gather up the babies quickly. Back to the Water my children!

And then walk back. So peaceful.

oh, haha! It's really too muddy, my dear, to be digging up saved nuts! What a mess you've made of your hands and face!