Birder PapaRrazi
An Amateur Birdwatcher's tally
Staying at home is not bad when the crowned heads of the US visit for dining and a walk in the yard to view the gardens. That's what happened to me in this last month. White crowned and golden crowned sparrows visited my yard with enthusiasm. They strolled and dined and visited each other. I got to watch and that was good. The sparrows were smaller than the dandelions. Also visiting my yard were other regular birds like house finches, goldfinches, house sparrows, song sparrows, chickadees, juncos, a pair of doves, starlings, and a pair of flickers. It was a good month at home bird wise. I never get tired of my little pretties. They don't know that I call them that. They don't know that I think proprietarily of them. Some of them, like the chickadees, seemed to think proprietarily of me. They know I got food. They expect me to put it out. Then I need to go away so they can enjoy their food. . The weather's been so nice that I've sat out a couple of times and they chattered complaints, but they ate anyway. Oh, I didn't mention the darling little bushtits that showed up in my Camilla bush. Just so precious, so itty bitty. They're practically impossible to photograph. Still, I adore them. Although I obeyed the stay at home orders I did have to go out and get some essentials. On my weekly trips I confess at diverting just a small way past some of my favorite birding haunts. On one of those visits I watched a woodpecker expand a hole in a tree. She stuck her head in the hole a couple of times and pulled it back out to continue chipping at the hole. Then I saw her mate come along up the tree. She sent him up for something that she thought she needed, and she finished up her pecking, then popped inside. I hope next time I go by there that I'll get to see the nesting pair. On another drive by I noticed that the heronry is gone for the year. Last month it was thriving. Now there seem to be no residents. I swung by Boeing pond and saw a surf scoter, a hummingbird, and a pair of mallards. It was rainy and there were no other people out at the pond, so I didn’t have to worry about social distancing. It was very relaxing. In one last drive by birding, on a rural road I love to traverse, I saw a greater yellowleg amongst a bunch of ducks and Canada geese. He was a busy guy, rushing around the ankle high pool of water in a field. My bird guide tells me if the bill is bigger than the head it’s a greater yellowleg. If the bill is smaller than the head it’s a lesser yellowleg. All in all, I feel I had a great month, mostly at home with my wild birdies who do not know how much I adore them but appreciate all the food I want to set out. Great and small I enjoy watching them all!
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AuthorI love birdwatching. It's relaxing and fun. Even though I've been birding for over 10 years I classify myself as an amateur birder. I plan to write a blog each month about my experiences. Hope you enjoy them! Categories |
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