I stood facing the bright January sun, squinting into my camera viewfinder, holding my breath. I had to get a clear shot of this titmouse. It had black on its head, I’m sure of it. The Oak Titmice we get are all grey. Click, click, click of the camera. It flies away, I keep my focus, locate it in the tangle of lichen-oak branches. Click, click, click. I’m satisfied that I got enough pictures of it for a positive ID for my checklist, I take a calmer look through my binoculars. All grey. Oak Titmouse, piercing the air with its spring songs.

It took awhile for the adrenaline to diminish from my not-so-rare titmouse photoshoot, but we had a delightful walk with lots of birding activity surrounding us. We found the remains of a deer’s leg. Knowing that mountain lions are in the park, we finished our short hike with more caution. I imagine that birds wouldn’t care about big cats. They can simply fly away.

My favorite bird at this park is the Yellow-billed Magpie. Black top and white-bellied, it has a striking yellow bill and lower eye arc. Its wings are white and deep blue, and its tail is marvelously long. I watched one for a long while, listening to it alternate between a quiet chatter to a raucous call. Once I moved out of the way, it swooped down for its prize: fish guts at the cleaning station.

It was a good day.