Balance

April has been awfully busy, friends and neighbors, and it may just happen that I don't make it over to Mason County this month!   For the first time in eons, my spring break landed at the same time as the kids, so we took a week to drive down to Disneyland (oh yes we did!).  California and Oregon were wonderful, and it was fun to hear birds that were on their way north (Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Cliff Swallow, Wilson's Warbler), birds that are always a little less common up here (Red-shouldered Hawk and Acorn Woodpecker) and a few new birds (California Towhee and Nuttall's Woodpecker).   We even had some shorebirds - Whimbrel and Black Oystercatcher in Northern California, and Willet at Santa Monica Beach.    It was a fun non-birding trip, and my family has encouraged me to cool my jets a little.   So, probably no posts until May,

The missed birds haven't been too many... that I know of... haha, but it will be nice to get back in May when new birds have really flooded in.  I walked my own neighborhood park here in Renton today, and added some year birds to my lagging King County year list - a half-dozen Black-throated Gray Warblers, a Pacific-slope Flycatcher, a ridiculously loud Pileated Woodpecker that pulled people out of their house to investigate the jackhammering, and a Hermit Thrush that pulled out a new vocalization that I hadn't heard before!

So I missed April in Mason, but I figger there are much worse things to miss.  My daughter was the main supporter of the dad-ain't-going-birding plan.  Tonight she asked "Why is it still light if it's almost 8?" and I remembered that there will be some big big days to come!

Hang in there y'all, and go find me some birds to chase!

-Tim