Been a busy week here at la Casa de Schools. This past weekend was the district water polo championship tournament. The Okemos girls did a clean sweep and took the district trophy, first time in a few years. They won each game pretty handily too. Molly scored a couple goals and did pretty well on defense. So this next weekend they go to the regional tournament as first seed. The tournament is in Birmingham, a Detroit suburb. Not that things aren’t hectic enough, the tournament is the same day as their prom. Which means they will play several grueling games and then have to rush back for the festivities. Hope their dates like the smell of chlorine.
District champs. Molly is front row, middle. Number 13 (Tracey Dudley photo).
The seniors on the team (Tracey Dudley photo).
On the birding front, spring migration has hit big time. Stuff is happening everywhere. There are all kinds of out-of-place birds, like a long-billed curlew down at the Willow Run airport, cattle egret, glossy ibis, prairie warbler in Bay County, and tri-colored heron and marbled godwit down at Pte. Mouillee. Unfortunately we haven’t been able to get free for some chasing.
We’ve had a flock of about six white-crowned sparrows just hanging around our yard for over a week now. They were not here over the winter so they must have migrated in. We have occasionally had them in the yard, but not a flock, and not for this long.
White-crowned sparrow in our yard.
White-crowned sparrow in our yard.
We got out along the River Trail for a bit Saturday morning. We got thirteen new species for the year; great-crested flycatcher, chestnut-sided warbler, red-breasted grosbeak, northern parula, magnolia warbler, Swainson’s thrush, gray catbird, wood duck, indigo bunting, veery, scarlet tanager, red-eyed vireo, and American redstart. Not bad for a little over an hour of birding on a pleasant morning. After the birding it was over to Sparty’s Coney Island restaurant for a chili and cheese omelet, then off to the tournament. Only thing that could have made it better was a plate of scrapple.
Sycamore on the River Trail.
Ed's and Lise's Biggish Years 