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The hummingbirds are back, and the feeder is going up today! (Joining at least three other feeders already out, so I don’t feel too bad about being late to the party.)

One person put their feeder out in early April, which was 1) optimistic; but also 2) I’m sure the hummingbirds appreciated having food right away when they came back, so thanks for taking one for the team, ground floor apartment building stranger!

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There are some birds chirping outside my windows this morning, despite the dark, and the rain, and the chill. They sound very cheery. A lovely soundtrack for a Monday morning. Thanks, birds!

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The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a live cam of nesting Layson Albatrosses in Kauai, Hawaii. Very enjoyable background to working!

And yes, it’s terrifying that google sees all and knows all, but it also means that I can search the phrase “tumblr baby bird is muppet adult bird has eyeliner” and it will *actually* lead me to the post I was looking for. Truly, we live in an astonishing time.

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I get worried about the cat being bored in the winter. There’s just not as much that’s fun for him to do. (Not that he’s running marathons in the summer or anything, but looking out the window is more exciting when there’s a bunch of baby skunks out there than when it’s just a frost-covered pane of glass.)

So it was suggested to me (thanks Mom!) that I show him some cat videos. It turns out youtube has a surprisingly robust selection of videos specifically designed to entertain cats. And he likes them!

(I mean, right now I’m the one watching a squirrel eat birdseed; the cat’s gone off to another room, but he was here earlier!)

Good news: cat is entertained by watching videos of birds

Bonus news: I am also entertained

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1. “can you roast artichoke hearts”

(Yes. I have not tried it yet. Instead, I had mashed potatoes with roasted eggplant and green peppers, the nightshade trifecta.)

2. “solar powered Christmas lights”

(Exist. The most popular ones seem to have a battery backup, making me suspicious that perhaps the battery part works better than the solar part. Also can’t find any info about how long they need sun each day to work.)

3. “cornell lab of ornithology coloring pages”

(Coloring is one of those things I always think I like more than I seem to while I’m doing it. Free coloring pages are always a win, though.)

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1. Called my landlord Sunday night (got voicemail, as expected). Tried not to sound freaked out. Probably sounded freaked out.

2. Took down bird feeders. While these almost certainly are what attracted the critter in the first place, still felt bad when the cardinal landed on my balcony railing this morning and looked at me reproachfully through the window.

3. Am currently “vacationing” in the other room and sleeping with ear plugs in. (Totally forgot how restful that can be!) Have no idea if critter is still making noise at 4:30 am.

4. Landlord reassuringly un-freaked out. Thinks it may be a chipmunk. (Not sure if this is better or worse.)

5. Mom thinks my cat could take a chipmunk.

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I dreamed last night about the hummingbirds coming back. It’s still too cold for that, but this morning I saw — for the first time — a lady cardinal at the feeder! A few days ago I saw Mr. Cardinal, so it’s cool to know they are both around. Not sure if they’re just passing through, or are simply very discerning locals who don’t like to look too eager by checking out a new feeder before at least four months have gone by.

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