<\/a>A male Wilson’s warbler shows his distinctive black cap. (Courtesy photo \/ Helen Unruh)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
More kinds of birds were seen and heard; hermit thrushes and ruby-crowned kinglets sang even on warm afternoons (often a low-activity time). Various warblers sang from the trees. Savanna sparrows on the wetlands had claimed territories and males advertised that achievement enthusiastically. At Point Louisa, pairs of marbled murrelets swam and dove just offshore.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
On my home pond most of the mallards had left, leaving one or two males behind. A female began to return (perhaps she lost her first clutch of eggs), usually in late afternoon or evening, and kept company with a male. On one of those days I chanced to see some flurried activity in a secluded little cove on the far side of the pond, well shielded by leafy branches. The two of them emerged, presently, side by side, with much settling of feathers. AHA! Now I knew their trysting place. That same pattern was repeated on several subsequent days.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
The wood ducks hung around the pond for about ten days and then disappeared. We know they nested near the community gardens last year: a female was seen with ducklings. Wouldn’t it be grand if some little fuzzy wood ducks appeared here in a couple of weeks!<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
A visit to Kingfisher Pond — that little gem of habitat restored from a quarry — always pays off. Male red-winged blackbirds sang lustily and a female carried nesting material into one of the islands of aquatic vegetation. I heard Wilson’s warblers and song sparrows. Tree swallows were zipping around, sometimes checking the nest boxes.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
The railing of the viewing platform is a popular perch. Two barn swallows sat calmly on one side, allowing my friend and me to move quietly and gently onto the other side of the platform. Later, we saw 10 tree swallows lined up on the railing. Just a bit later there were eight tree swallows and two barn swallows: one of the tree swallows rose up and bounced on the back of a barn swallow, returning quickly to its perch. The barn swallow was little fazed, staying in place for a bit before leaving.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Small maple trees and bird cherries were flowering, and we looked closely at the maple flowers. They seemed to be both male (with stamens) and female (with a central stigma). But maples in general are not so consistent. Sometimes male and female flowers are on separate individuals, sometimes on different branches of the same individual, and sometimes the sexes occur together in each flower. A very flexible arrangement. Why?<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t