Photo: Goslings, April 2, 2007
By Martin Cox

Saturday, Martin Cox updated the most recent Echo Park Lake goose update (see photo, above) with the following:

The Canada geese in the chicks pic I sent you last Monday were in their first fifteen minutes off the nest. Five made it to the water, two got stuck in the floating island habitat for hours, struggling to exhaustion to escape, a long and happy story of intervention saved them. All seven were united. One died the next night (unknown cause).

But now we have six going strong, facing their first weekend onslaught in the park as the weekend is upon up. The weather is cool and cloudy, which increases their chances.

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Who let the dogs doves out?

As for doves, an Echo Park Animal Alliance member named Connie emailed the following to the group:

One [dove] has been perched on a large branch outside my window for over a week. I don't know where it goes at night, but it is on a large branch and seems to like to look inside my window during the day. It seems tame. Is someone missing a white dove/pigeon?

Sounds like Echo Park at large -- not just the lake -- is the recipient of either laughing doves or mourning doves. How beautiful. How sad. Who did this? Did they know this neighborhood is filled with hawks (no pun intended)?

A reader named Jill emailed me the following about the teen-age dancers on Echo Park Avenue.

My boyfriend and I saw [the kids] rehearsing a few times, always to the "Grease" soundtrack. The girls seemed to be having fun, while the boys looked a little humiliated! I think the dog's name is Foxy, by the way.

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Broken sky celebration: Monday, shortly after 1 p.m., the sky over Echo Park ripped apart about four times as military jets shredded their way toward Dodger Stadium, where it was Opening Day. Is there a request box at Dodger Stadium? I think I prefer the Stealth Bomber, which years ago -- in the pre-email pr era -- startled me and other neighbors by flying over our houses unannounced. Better drama. And spooky, too!