If you look carefully, there are many signs of spring in the parks. The trillium are blooming by the restrooms and the staircase to the parking lot at Juanita Bay; a few salmonberry are beginning to unfurl its blossoms, and a lonely skunk cabbage is out.
In other parks, with different microniches of light and temperatures, skunk cabbage are blooming in abundance. Things are leafing out and budding all over. Red flowering currants by the Juanita Bay parking area are blooming, although the large area by the community trail is not so far along. The willows are flowering, elderberry leafing out, green spikes of the yellow iris are sprouting in the wetlands, as are new shoots of bleeding heart by the restrooms. The camellias are blooming, the Oregon grapes budding.
Some of the winter migrants are gone, while a few hardy early migrators are coming into the park. Tree swallows have been reported, a new red-tailed hawk with a banded leg has taken up territory on the west side of Market Street where he is often photographed, and all kinds of small birds are singing again.
Saturday afternoon three immature bald eagles treated some of us hardy souls out in the rain with a wonderful aerial display of synchronized flying at close range. Some early nesters are already nestbuilding, including a new flicker hole in a stub off the west boardwalk.
An especially welcome sign of spring is when the water is turned on in the park. As of March 14, we now have the regular restrooms open. I was also encouraged to see in last week’s Reporter that the new contract with Waste Management will return trash collection to more of our parks.
The volunteer Eastside Rangers for Juanita Bay Park already have many requests from schools for park tours for the second half of April. You can contact the Eastside Rangers by calling the Eastside Audubon at 425-576-8805. The requests will be forwarded to the rangers coordinating our scheduling.
Upcoming Events in the Park
• The first Sunday walk in Juanita Bay Park is at 1 p.m. April 3.
• Saturday April 16 there is a special event celebrating Migratory Bird Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Juanita Bay Park. It features games and activities for children, family oriented park tours, and interpretive materials around migratory birds, the park and its wetlands and wildlife, and backyard wildlife habitat resources. For more information, visit the EAS Web site at www.eastsideaudubon.org.
• The third Tuesday bird walk is April 19. Meet the group at 8 a.m.
• Saturday April 23 is the large volunteer work party for Earth Day sponsored by Green Kirkland Partnership, Earth Corps and the various stewardship groups working on park habitat restoration. Register with Earth Corps at the city Web site for Green Kirkland Partnership.
Other related events
• April 30 is the Eastside Audubon annual native plant sale. It is at Kirkland Children’s School at 5311 108th Ave. N.E. (roughly across from Best High School). There will be resources and consultants available to help you choose suitable plants for your needs and garden conditions.
• The third Sunday Kirkland Watershed Park walk is April 17. Meet at 1 p.m. at the entrance at 110th Avenue N.E. and N.E. 45th Street.
• The Washington Native Plant Society’s Native Plant Sale at Bellevue Botanical Gardens will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 7.
• Washington Native Plant Appreciation week is the first week of May. Typically there are field trips and garden tours offered to the public. For information, go to www.Wnps.org. The local chapter is Central Puget Sound.
Kirkland resident Janice Johnson is an Eastside park ranger and native plant steward.
