Hi Folks,

I was sitting in our Ferndale yard this afternoon with Elaine, bemoaning the fact that the southeast winds seemed to make the sky utterly hawkless, and almost two hours of sky-watching brought nothing into view above tree-top level.  Alas, quite surprised I was when a formation of five GLOSSY IBIS came wafting in from the east, then wheeled around right over the yard, and slowly headed back toward the east.  A new yard bird, #121, and #66 for the year, and the sixth species of wader we've had fly over our suburban acre.  Other yard birds of interest today were 13 flyover COMMON LOONs, our yard's latest ever YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, and after the ibis, our latest SHARP-SHINNED HAWK.  Other yard highlights for the past week:

4/14--an AM. KESTREL hovering over yard with some kind of prey

4/15--a yard-high 48 CHIPPING SPARROWs

4/16--our third N. HARRIER of the year, flying high

4/19--a yard-high 19 COMMON LOONs flying north at dawn in a loose formation
      our second BROAD-WINGED HAWK of the year, at tree-top level
      our fifth MERLIN sighting of the year (this was a county bird just 
            five months ago)
      our first HOUSE WREN of the year

4/20-- our first GREAT EGRET lazily flying by
      our first RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD of the year, a resplendent male that
            hung around for a day, then left
      our first YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER of the year in beautiful plumage

I'm loving the plentiful rain; things sure are lush.

Stan Arnold
Ferndale