Birds: Signs of Spring

We had another mild, sunny weekend in Seattle, so of course I got outside a lot.  On Saturday I walked around the Montlake Fill, where there were swallows swooping over the lake -- the return of the swallows signals the return of Spring -- hurrah!  (Not that we really ever had Winter here.)

Another sign of Spring was this cup nest, which was not there last weekend -- I'm pretty sure it's for an Anna's Hummingbird, as there was one hanging out nearby, and they do start building nests as early as February.  The first shot includes a Song Sparrow for scale (the hummingbird did not oblige):

I'll certainly be keeping an eye on this. Other signs of Spring -- the Red-winged Blackbird males are very noisily proclaiming their territories, and Cedar Waxwings are already showing up (the waxwings often don't return until April or May).

I do hope the birds are right and Spring is Sprung.  It was nice enough on Sunday that I got some weeding done in my garden, and I bought summer-blooming bulbs (though didn't plant them yet -- I'm not that convinced that Winter is over).  Spring, for me, equals Gardening and of course, Baseball!

Finally, this last picture is of a Marsh Wren, which is not a sign of Spring since they are year-round residents, but hey, they don't pop up into view that often and I do love being able to SEE them instead of just hear them:

Typically, though, we get a faux Spring in February, and then we get six weeks or so of rain.  Today's forecast, however, is for 50 and sunshine.  Too bad I have to go to work, but at least there are lunch-time walks to be had!