Swallows, Shorebirds, and Storms

Sunrise, April 13, 2026 - April showers bring lots of dandelions!I sat in my basement through two tornado warnings this week, both with confirmed tornadoes quite nearby. I’ve been through tornado warnings before, but this was the first time I watched the meteorologist on TV drawing a line from a confirmed touchdown (20 miles away) directly towards my location. Fortunately, the tornado dissipated, and the storm made a slight turn to the south. Within 15 minutes, I was safe, and all was well.Me, watching the tornado coverage! (meadowlark)The silver lining in these storms, which also brought way too much rain, is that birds travel on the winds. It’s a great time to be a bird, apparently! The spring surprises definitely started this week as I watched a flock of 18 ibis flying around the lake! They never landed, and the light was poor, but I rarely see ibis, and I’ve never seen that many at this location!No question they were ibis, although from a distance, with a quick glance, I could…