My Birding World

Lots of memorable experiences and silliness can happen while birding. One particular trip this weekend was no exception!

1. I popped out of the car and heard my FOS (first of season) Swainson’s Thrush with its hauntingly beautiful song! I did a happy dance, twirls and all, unable to contain my excitement.
2. The big debate: “Do I bring my heavy camera up this steep hike or not? The last several times yielded zero photos. Nah, I won’t bring it this time.” Not bringing a camera will guarantee you’ll see something cool. No less than a couple minutes passed that I spotted a young Hairy Woodpecker poking its head out of its cavity, chattering nonstop to its dad nearby. Damn. Rushed back to the car for my camera.
3. I’m starting a new trend: Almost stepping on snakes while looking into the tree tops for birds. I’ve done this several times now, but this weekend was more exciting. There was a pencil-thin gray snake chillin’ in the middle of the path. Slight movement must have caught my eye because my foot hovered over its curly body and I SCREAMED (like, really screamed). This must have scared the little thing because in a twist of panic to get out of my path, it appeared to lunge straight at me – at least that’s what my flight-or-flight mind interpreted. I ran away hard like my life depended on it while the snake finally reoriented away from the path. The snake didn’t learn its lesson because it was back in the same spot when we returned, but this time I was prepared and didn’t repeat the earlier disaster.
4. Parking lots are the best birding spots. We spent most of the “hike” within a quarter mile of the parking lot, totally overwhelmed by the chorus of songs and trying to pick out identifications. No wonder I hardly get in my daily steps while birding.

Groggy and disoriented, I pulled myself out of bed. What day is it? Do I work today? Did I oversleep? Quarantine-brain is in full force, causing the days to blend together. Bleary-eyed, I wandered into the kitchen to grab my breakfast and watch the birds. I heard a squabble at the bird feeder just outside the window. The feeder was nearly out of the much-desired sunflower seeds causing fierce territory wars. I threw open the window, which would normally scatter all the birds, but one brave Lesser Goldfinch remained behind. She watched me grab the feeder and patiently waited for the refill.

Once the feeder was back in place, the delicate female goldfinch plopped herself onto the plate and hogged down for a solid six minutes with no interruptions from other birds. I watched as she grabbed a seed and meticulously chewed it down, all while darting her gaze looking out for danger. Her bill was plastered with chunks of seeds – I wanted to offer her a napkin. Grabbing a bit of my bagel, I moved just enough to spook her, thus ending the buffet.

The rest of the morning was spent listening to the leftovers of the morning chorus. I watched a pair of crows tend to their nest. A pair of Dark-eyed Juncos picked through dropped seeds in the gutter below. Pigeons were flapping against a brilliant blue sky. Shelter-in-place has been challenging for us humans. But sitting at the window watching the birds helps to let go of worries for just a little while.