bird watching

today is my admin day: i clear emails, muddle through my in-box, organize myself with lists, clean my studio and get generally organized. because it was warm yet overcast, i did most of my work-on the computer, of course-outside...and spurred on by the world series of birding, i decided to count all of the birds i saw while doing it. the first bird i saw was a pileated woodpecker, who cruised through the trees right in front of me. the last bird i saw was a ruby throated hummingbird-the fist of the season!- which i had (somehow) anticipated, and made a double batch of nectar for earlier in the day. in between, i saw the great blue heron, 8 or so osprey, titmice with chickadees, cardinals, american goldfinch, eastern bluebirds, two red bellied woodpeckers, various crows, harbor gulls and a white breasted nuthatch that cracked kernels of corn from the bird feeder on the loblolly pine. another bird-y thing happened when ot and i went to the beach: i heard the crazy call of a pilleated woodpecker...then a second...and then many many more: i dont know how many, but a lot! from the trees these birds were screaming for about 3 minutes..then silence. wow: it was cool! purple martins should show up any second since the sun is setting soon. the highlight of the day was definately the hummingbird-who is buzzing me right now, coincidentally- because it's arrival signals the beginning of summer, a week before the unofficial start during memorial day weekend. i love summer!