"...winter's come and gone
a little bird told me so."-Gillian Welch
It's been a little over a month now since the vultures started coming home to Fawnwood from their winter stay down south. For the last couple years we've had 11 residents who travel the air currents through the ravines, over the neighbor's clear cut, and often over the garden. Even if my nose is buried in a garden bed, I know when they pass overhead. Their massive bodies cast huge shadows on the ground. I can't help but look up.
Like many of the migrants, I miss them when they're gone and hail their return. Shouts and cheers erupt in the Spring as one of us announces the first birds that return after the long winter. This year, we were able to give the 3 returning vultures a real welcome home gift. Only a few days after their return, David, Terry and Tom shot an elk on Terry's family ranch. After processing everything we could, we placed the elk carcass below the barn in the ravine. It became a raven and vulture hang out for many days. I have to admit that I've never seen ravens act the way they did that week. They made so many different sounds, sometimes like eagles, while doing spiral dives and what looked like dancing or air acrobatics.
Sandhill cranes have also passed by in droves over the last couple weeks. They have the sweetest, oldest sound. I consider myself pretty lucky to hear them nearly every day between April and November here. This area of the Columbia River is a staging ground for them on their way to breeding spots in the north and south.
Finally, Violet Green Swallows or Tree Swallows(not sure which ones because they look almost identical when flying around) have returned this week. I've been faked out twice as little flocks have passed through on their way somewhere else. They are a huge presence here in the summer until the fields are hayed in July. They cruise by us at head or shoulder level, snatching bugs out of the air while we walk around the garden. They're stunning and I'm happy they're finally back! Plus they probably help keep the mosquito population down. Thank you!
I patiently await the return of the Goldfinches. They are good company in the garden and we like to grow the seedy flowers for them so they stay late into the fall.
Ah, the birds here are so many to mention. They do bring me happy moments every day.