Weather & Birds

On Monday I did some digging and planting. Despite near-drought conditions the lawn and shrubbery look great. Our yard is again green and lush with new foliage. If the dry weather continues I'll have to start watering regularly. Weather is still comfortable but starting to warm up, and I got a little sunburn today. Quite a contrast with the present situation in California, where torrential rains have been causing mudslides and road closures.

Spring migration remains relatively uneventful - at least I haven't seen much action here. Monday birds included Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Chimney Swifts, Purple Martins, a couple of Gray Catbirds, Brown Thrasher, Summer Tanager, and Pine Warbler. Nothing unusual. I heard a Pileated Woodpecker for the first time in quite a while. Woodpeckers in general seem to be a bit scarce around here lately, and I suspect that they may have dispersed to take advantage of the abundance of fallen timber caused by Hurricane Rita (our neighborhood had its share of downed trees, but most have since been hauled away or burned). From reports I've read it looks like migrants are starting to appear in modest numbers at coastal locations. Local highlight yesterday was a Hermit Warbler found at Sea Rim State Park.