Week 7

After 2 weeks of not blogging I’m determined to complete an article this week. So I’m completing week 7 before going back to weeks 5 and 6. Well, I’ve never been mathematically inclined.
Week 7, Sunday birding started out chilly, in the 40s. No snow, like previous weeks. Also no fog. It was a gray day, though, with bits of sunshine peeking through the clouds. At my feeder Mr. Scrub Jay snacked sloppily. He goes for the seeds and tosses the filler out for ground feeders. A pair of juncos uneasily shared the space with him. He really isn’t mean – just big enough to take precedence at the feeding stations. He’s also very handsome. A trio of sparrows came along, and a starling but Scrubbers ruled!
We got the dogs loaded up and ready to go. They wore pretty dresses today. Katie's was lacy and a little too big. Maggie’s was a little too small, but still fit.
On our way to Green River Road and Flaming Geyser we saw gulls and crows. Starting our “real” journey we found 3 blue herons! They are solitary birds so this was a cool sight. Traveling down one of our favorite roads in the area, we caught starlings, a kestrel, brewers blackbirds, more gulls, mallards, and robins. Katie hung out the window in excitement, wishing her whole body would dangle outside in the wind that blew her ears about. “No, dear, you can’t do that.” Katie didn’t understand why not. But she’s a good girl.
At the park a stellar jay stayed far away from my camera sights. I’m not a pushy paparazzi so I didn’t manage to get him on film. One day, though… I certainly had fun stalking him in the park, as much as Katie would cooperate with me. She was more interested in grass, posts, anything but the birds hanging out.
We walked along the running water, shaded by tall pines. Meadows were too the right, with picnicking facilities which were empty on an early Sunday. One of my favorite times to go to a public park for birding. The Green River flowed fast this morning.  The beaches were small. Robins fluttered about and I heard a single “weider” of the red winged blackbird in the marsh. He wasn’t in sight but I sure heard him.
On the way back we passed 3 blue herons with some ducks. Mergansers and mallards swam in groups around the herons. Pigeons were on one exit light pole, opposite a red tail hawk on the other side. All told, it was a successful day birding.
 
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