THE FIRST KINGLET

I’ve heard a couple kinglets this week for the first time since last spring. I think this is my favorite bird and just the cutest little flit-about I ever did see. One at home and one in the little grove of almond and oak trees at our sit spot yesterday.

It was super fall feeling and a bit chilly but kiddo (and the other kids at the beach) still got in the water and got soaked. Puffy clouds were in the sky and intermittently covered and revealed the sun, making the case of on and off with the long-sleeve. We saw a couple dragonflies.

Carrie told me she’s also been seeing yellow rumped warblers and white crown sparrows.

Kiddo made “carrot soup” in his bucket, bringing tiny bucketfuls of sand, aka “carrots, mustard, crushed peppers” to add to the soup. Quite the flavors! He also made a mountain of sand and first called it Mount Hood and then put a crater in the top and then called it St. Helens. We’ve briefly mentioned these mountains when we’ve been in Oregon visiting family but I don’t think we talked about craters?? He can hear something once and be an expert on it though! Maybe they talk about mountains at daycare?

Acorn woodpeckers were hanging out as usual, phoebe hunted flies from the logs in the river, ducks, geese, more egrets than we’ve seen lately (about three). A few herons flew across. Last week we saw and collected lots of walnuts; didn’t check for them this week.

The river is at a record low. The river days kids dug a channel to connect the little pond back to the river. The pond was so shrunken. A bunch of frogs jumped in EEEPING as we walked around the pond. We saw deer tracks walking up to the edge of the pond. The kids dug a long channel and clear, lovely river water flowed in. And probably saved some fish!