The Kalapuya Indians of the Tualatin Valley where I live called this ” out of provision month”– where all the dried camas and the salmon have been eaten, the new shoots are not yet out and the migratory birds are arriving. Last week before the last snow I did find some nettles and picked them, apparently they were a native food and I certainly didn’t like them — kind of ” soapy” but if that was all to eat I probably would have liked them better.
This week in my wetlands the geese are making mating displays, the kingfishers are very loud and the woodpeckers are drumming for mates. I was so hoping a wood duck would use the house but so far the only bird house occupants in a different house are a pair of chickadees who relentlessly go back and forth picking up the cat hair from a feral cat who lives under the porch but leaves his hair on the side walk where he rubs in the sun.
Last week we went to FernHill wetlands where we saw a flock of tundra swans– could see in the scope they were not trumpeters. Saw many many ring neck ducks, pintails and ruddy ducks . No swallows yet. No rufous hummers back either or my sweet pair of green herons.
The gold finches are turning more and more yellow every day . Spring really is coming.