New birds & a mushroom

Overcast, drizzly weather continues. When will the sun come out?

Two new FOSes (or, if you prefer, FOYs) this morning: Gray Catbird and Swamp Sparrow. The Catbird is, of course, a common local nester. The Swamp Sparrow is a common winter bird but a little more scattered as a nesting bird.

Another first of the year was yesterday's appearance of a mushroom -- Coprinellus (formerly Coprinus) micaceous, one of the so-called 'inky caps'. They grow in small but dense bunches on the ground (supposedly due to buried wood) and made a mild but tasty sauce for Lorna's meat balls.

Forster's Terns continue on the creek. Their reappearance so early in the season (and ahead of the Common and Least Terns) is striking. There is a strong possibility that this species is breeding somewhere in our area -- but where?

Eric Salzman