April 4, 2026

Where: the neighborhood

When: 3:20pm

Bird Species: northern mockingbird, house sparrow, house finch, American robin, Carolina chickadee, European starling, mourning dove, fish crow

Things I Thought About:

• Holy week, and the annual tradition of me explaining to a new person that Catholics aren't the only people that observe Lent. This is a big time for every Christian denomination. It's a whole thing.
• Not that I observed Lent this year. I couldn't think of anything to give up that would be a real sacrifice except this, and I think I would go insane.
• Look at that mockingbird, singing his head off. You really can't take a bad picture of mockingbird, despite how disagreeable their personalities are. See also: red-wing blackbird.

• It is perfectly beautiful out. Man, these beautiful spring days really gets away from you when stay in bed until 10 and then watch four episodes of television.
• According to the Bible, this Saturday before Easter was the lowest the disciples had ever been, and they were also laying low, so this is simply observing the tradition of my people.
• It's hard not to still feel a little smidgeon of excitement for spring and rebirth today, especially when the blue jays are so aggressively, noisily horny. Three of them have been screaming at each for actual days now
• Four people will unsubscribe if I talk about going to church on the blog, but I do not care because people unsubscribe all the time anyway. I think they're annoyed that I really do send an email every day. It's exactly what it says on the tin, as the Brits say.
• When I was child, today would have been all about an egg hunt, and laying out a pretty new Easter dress to make sure I had shoes and accessories, since we'd ask someone to take a picture of the whole family in our best church clothes tomorrow, outside, in front of the church doors or with some azaleas. There are dozens of these in my photo collection.
• Those finches are kissing!! Sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!

• Lisa Gilroy will soon be too well-known to do another season of Jury Duty. Love that for her.
• I think I'll go shoe shopping, to make sure something will look nice with my pretty Easter dress for tomorrow.

BOTD: the northern cardinal. There used to be a ton of males around and two females and, but the fights have slowed down now. They have paired off and I think this is Pinky's girlfriend! I wish the jays would lock their shit down similarly.