August 5, 2026
Where: around my complex and the one next door
When: 6:20 pm
Bird Species: house sparrow, house finch, American robin, European starling, gray catbird, northern cardinal, mourning dove
Things I Thought About:
- Dinosaurs. One of my movie podcasts was talking about Jurassic Park today, and now I am looking at birds. I am mostly thinking about dinosaurs.
- It is canon that I am having a Bummer Summer; this will cut way back on Things I Thought About That I Also Want to Blog About, so allow me to say this: Parasaurolophus is a tragically underrated dinosaur.
- What kind of dino skull was it that Nic Cage had to repatriate? You'd have to kill me to make me give up a Parasaurolophus skull.
- "Ubiquity" is among the collective nouns you can use for sparrows, which is a fun ornithological joke, and is extremely true this afternoon.
- The activity around here is quick and everywhere, jumping from tree to tree, very short flights, tree to ground and back, flying off in a burst, movement everywhere, and then every now and then there will be single bird flying a longer distance, the length of a whole parking lot, and the movement is so different and graceful and elegant I instantly feel better for watching it.
- Stillness in the midst of bustle is a gift, and a single bird in slow looping flight has the same feeling.
- I kind of want to watch Jurassic Park.
BOTD: female northern cardinal. Earlier on this walk she gave me her whole entire butt when I was trying to get a picture, which I did NOT appreciate, so I was happy to find her still snacking away in the same tree on my way back by,
It was quite hot, but overall the colors were pretty this evening.
