Today two swallows

...were going about their business at the Table Creek bridge. Barn Swallows are not common in this area, so these were a nice surprise, especially considering their new status.

Barn Swallows everywhere are in big trouble, as Trevor Herriot explains in his latest post, so needless to say I watched these two with delight and a measure of sadness as I snapped a few pics, steadying the camera lens on the CROSS AT YOUR OWN RISK sign. The bridge has been in rough shape for years. Recently a meeting was held to discuss its future. I don't know what they decided, but I fear the swallows soon will.

Dance on my grave

...all you like.

H shot this video this morning. I just sat there and watched them dance. What a way to wake up.

Dear poets, there are spots

...available in the Poetry Colloquium with Al Moritz and the Poetry Workshop with Priscila Uppal at the Sage Hill Writing Experience this summer. What a fabulous chance to work with one of these incredible poets.

And what a fabulous chance to talk a fellow poet into applying as well. A friend talked me into applying last year. It was a great opportunity to reconnect, make new connections and to move ahead with my work. Late applications are still being accepted. The online application process is super simple. In fact, it's pretty tempting.

This mining town roars into May

...while redpolls mine the willow catkins.

Yes, a few redpolls remain. A dozen this morning, 19 this afternoon.

Our yard is teaming with migrants. Juncos, American Tree Sparrows and Fox Sparrows galore. Lincoln's Sparrow. Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Purple Finch. Yellow-rumped Warbler. The ground is moving. Branches jumping. Endless singing. And just now the boom of a bird-banger on the tailings pond just north of here.

We drove down the West Arm Mine road yesterday. Highlights include six pairs of Hooded Mergansers, each pair on its own wooded pond, and a troupe of twenty Rusty Blackbirds foraging on a wooded swamp while Buffleheads fought nearby and Greater Yellowlegs went about their business. Good plan.