May 13th - Welcome Back!

I guess you'd figure that my fifth trip back, I'd have that "Welcome back" feeling as I headed towards the Rock Island Ponds. They're my first stops every time, so it's definitely becoming more and more homey, more familiar. But the feeling came from more than just this. Over the course of the May recap, there's birds coming back North, there's routines starting to come back after a year and more of COVID restrictions, and even a couple folks at businesses who threw me a "welcome back!" 

I actually started the visit with some exploring around the Columbia side of Highway 28. 

Zoomed out...

...and zoomed in

Globemallow - either Nelson or Munro

The road I checked out was Columbia Siding Road, across from Palisades. From what I've seen, Caspian and Forster's Terns are a little more common as you head down the Columbia, so I've been looking for places that give me a better view without stopping on Highway 28. There was nothing more than Double-crested Cormorants visible on the river, but I did find a Western Kingbird (137). The parentheticals will continue to be the running tally for my year list as we move through the posts.

The Rock Island Ponds were an unrushed, lazy stop, and I had a handful of new birds for the year - Black-headed Grosbeak (138), Bullock's Oriole (139), Cedar Waxwing (140), and Yellow Warbler (141). The most interesting thing was not this, but the smell. It was this citrus scent that was nearly everywhere. I tried to lean in and smell anything I could, just trying to locate the source, but it eluded me and I was forced to just enjoy it.

Canada Geese - Rock Island Golf Course - 13th hole

Back to the Cedars Inn for the evening. I hopped onto the bed with my laptop to do some work, and felt a little itch on my leg. Leg hair is good for something, it would seem, as it kept the tick from doing any damage. I was a little creeped out by this of course, and did a full check. Later during the trip someone recounted getting 30 ticks or so while at the Rock Island Ponds.

...

So I'm wearing jeans from now on!

I poked at a little work and took a nap before walking over to the casino for dinner. There was actually a neat buzz through the place over things like getting dartboards back, and people getting their second shots. Most of the people talking about the vaccinations had someone who they were getting vaccinated *for* - and almost universally it was a parent. 

It had, to be fair, been a long day, including some scrambling to get writing revisions out the door before I got myself out the door. I fell asleep hard and early with the alarm set for the wee side of 5 AM.

Some kind of asters along Columbia Siding Road