Dropping water levels

Water levels are finally getting serious about dropping…

this is the furthest I’ve been able to walk down our boat launch, for probably a couple of months…being another cool, gray, showery day I decided to wander over to the park…

I had thought that I might be able to get to the viewing platform…but it is a long ways off yet – still around that last bend

the trail the other way is still pretty wet as well…there was also a pile of ‘bear poop’ at the edge of the water, so even though I hadn’t heard any reports of bears in the area, obviously there are.

Very quiet bird wise over here too…Swallows flying over head, could hear Cedar Waxwings and I’d seen a couple of Bald Eagles flying over on my way to the park but not much of anything else..

What was noticeable were the flowers of the native ‘Hardhack’ shrubs..

here is a closer look at the flowers…my mother used to call it ‘wild spirea’ which is a prettier name than ‘Hard hack’.  The flowers don’t stay pink for long, turning brown very quickly, but setting tiny seeds that are a food source for a lot of birds over the winter.

I’ve been noticing a lot of juvenile Brown headed cowbirds this year, more than I ever recall seeing before.  There were two young Bullock’s Oriole in the tree in front of my place last night, so still a few around…lot’s of American Goldfinch…youngsters showing up now too.

Thought I’d put in this file photo of a young American Goldfinch..taken in my former back yard a few years ago…but showing the coloration.