 There are bushtits among us! Can you hear that rhythmic "pinging" noise coming from the front side of the building? It sounds like a fork hitting metal or the chirp of your fire-alarm when it is low on batteries. It's nothing to worry about, just a bushtit pair working on starting a family!  These very small birds are part of the chickadee family and among the smallest species of North American Songbirds. Their nests are pendant-like and hang from branches relatively low to the ground. Once eggs are laid, the mating calls should stop; please be patient! Both parents incubate the 4-10 eggs for a period of 12-13 days before hatching begins. Fledglings will leave the nest about 18 days later.
We ask that if you have cats and live on the 2nd floor facing the courtyard in the front of the building that you keep your pets inside during this crucial time. Not only, is this part of the Association's rules (pets shall not be free-range) but you'll be doing your part to help protect one of Puget Sound's declining species of songbirds. Since 1966 there has been a steady decrease in this species, according to the Audubon Annual Bird Count. Thank you for your patience as these tiny winged-wonders do their best to help re-establish a strong population in the Puget Sound region.
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