Thank you for identifying the “large stalk of vegetation” as a wooly mullein stalk. You have expanded my horizons. I see them everywhere, but I had no name for them. Thanks. Tom

I’m not sure how big a deal this is for everyone else, but my wife, Susan, found a Mountain Bluebird today. I think it may be my first of the year, not just of the season. The bird was at the south end of Veterans Park, where the greenbelt
path is separated from the park by a ditch with a wooden footbridge. We saw the bird on the way out on our (cold) ride, but I didn’t see it on the way back. It was perched on a large stalk of vegetation along the ditch and seemed tolerant of the people passing
by on the greenbelt path.

Lots of ducks have arrived, hopefully to stay. Gadwalls are suddenly common, Hooded Mergansers are daily, and Common Goldeneye have started to hang out at Silver Lake. Plus, I saw an Osprey in the last week, but he was a one hit wonder.