Yesterday morning, I was sitting in the living room reading the Post. One of our cats jumped up on my lap to "help". Suddenly, she started to chatter at something outside so I looked up to see a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird perched on the feeder. Jane has a theory that the birds that perch are the ones that live here and the ones that hover over the perch are migrants. No way to test the theory unless the birds are banded.

Shortly afterward, we went for a walk. There's a stream that runs behind our house and the street adjacent and there was a Hooded Warbler singing in the same area where we hear one every year. I'm also assuming that this is a returning local and not a migrant.

Lots of Chimney Swifts in downtown Leonardtown when we were there shortly after noon for their annual Earth Day celebration. Perfect weather for it at least until mid-afternoon when the bottom started to drop out of the thermometer. Ah spring!
 
Tyler Bell

California, Maryland