Signs of spring continue to be evident in my neighborhood. As water collects on the tops of all the apartment buildings on our block, mallards show up and take advantage of them. The first year we lived here it was very odd to see mallards floating by on the building across the ally. Every now and then a hen will try to lay eggs on a roof. Before she gets too far, crows and squirrels take over and eat the eggs almost as fast as she can lay them. I'm relieved by this, I didn't want to think about having to get the newly hatched mallards off of the roofs. A good example of where egg predation comes in handy--to warn those young hens that a roof is not the best idea that they could have come up with for nesting. Mallards aren't known for their forward thinking abilities.

About eight years ago, some guys were doing some tree trimming on the roof across the way and left a chainsaw up there. It looks like a really nice DeWalt brand chainsaw. I tried to contact the building owners to let them know, but there it stays. People still go up there, but no one ever takes the chainsaw down...I sometimes wonder if it was used to dismember a body--see what happens when I watch a couple of episodes of CSI?

I was out at the Minneapolis Convention Center getting ready for the World of Birds booth at the Northwest Sports Show. This thing looks fun, and I'm not just talking about the bird room--although, that's pretty cool too. There's all sorts of bird groups represented there, MOU, Minnesota Audubon, MN DNR, MN Bluebird Recovery Program just to name a few. I was marveling in awe watching other exhibitors set up fancy boats and docks indoors (they're huge), someone next to our room was setting up a "touch the live sharks pool" and a Wisconsin animal rescue guy will have his exhibit of animals, including a lynx and a baby porcupine. How could a day be bad when you get to see a four day old porcupine? Wow, I really hope that one wasn't a breech birth. Yeow.

Hey, do you like my new tube feeder? It looks just like a squirrel! I can't believe this female is casually hanging by her back legs, while dangling two stories up. She obviously didn't read the label that reads that feeder is for clingers only and not hangers.