woodpeckers
Where: the neighborhood When: 5:15 pm Bird Species: common grackle, European starling, song sparrow, house sparrow, white-breasted nuthatch, American robin, mourning dove, red-bellied woodpecker, blue jay Things I Thought About: * I have that song from Waitress in my head, and that is how we know that I
songbirds
Where: Eakin Park, at Prosperity Road When: 5:40pm - 6:08 pm Bird Species: northern cardinal, American crow, eastern bluebird, house sparrow, American robin, common grackle. Heard but not seen: downy woodpecker, Carolina chickadee, red-shouldered hawk, pileated woodpecker, blue-gray gnatcatcher. Things I Thought About: * A person in my
bluejay
Where: around my complex When: 1:00 pm Bird Species: American robin, house sparrow, downy woodpecker, white-breasted nuthatch, blue jay, American crow, pileated woodpecker, northern cardinal Things I Thought About: * I think my strongest emotional connection to Star Wars these days is Mitch and Nick on Doughboys saying, "
songbirds
Where: Huntley Meadows Hike & Bike Trail When: 8:42 am Bird Species: northern cardinal, northern mockingbird, American redstart, indigo bunting, blue grosbeak, eastern bluebird, barn swallow, great blue heron, great egret, green heron, white-eyed vireo, ruby-throated hummingbird, red-winged blackbird, blue-gray gnatcatcher, common grackle, Carolina wren,
thrushes
Where: Hidden Oaks When: 11:00 am Bird Species: American robin, pileated woodpecker, northern mockingbird, northern cardinal, American crow, house sparrow, American goldfinch, downy woodpecker, tufted titmouse, white-throated sparrow Things I Thought About: * I intended to be asleep until at least noon today but my niece, turns out, had
raptors
Rabbit Rabbit Where: Huntley Meadows Park When: December 18, 2023 Things I Am Thinking About: * As you are reading this, I am likely to be on my way home, praise the Lord. I have been watching my face and hair (and body and mood) deteriorate day by day while I’
Guest Birder
Guest Birder of the Day: Mark Calcagni and I frequented the same coffee shop 20-some years ago, and we reconnected the way people our age usually do, on Facebook, where I was obsessed with his bird photos while just getting into it myself. I'm glad I didn&
swamp friends
Where: all over Delmarva When: summer and fall of 2024, mostly Things I'm Thinking About: * I pre-loaded three days of content, certain that I’d be able to spend an hour in that time writing something well-crafted and nostalgic about birds, which I love, and love
Guest Birder
Guest Birder of the Day: Patrick Doyle, who readers of the blog will be thrilled to learn is my osprey pal! When we went birding together in Maryland, I saw my first indigo bunting, Baltimore oriole, American redstart, tundra swan, solitary sandpiper, and eastern wood peewee. Banner day. At one
raptors
Where: Cross County Trail between Tobin Road and King Arthur When: February 4, 2024 BOTD: the barred owl. * The above is the first owl I ever spotted on my own. At the time I took that photo I had listed 11 birds. Every bird still sounded the same to me,
Guest Birder
Guest Birder of the Day: Maggie Hendricks, to whom I gave a link to this blog when I was still using the free trial version of the platform. Maggie has made surreptitious appearances on the blog as one of the Aunties in the famous Group Chat and Yahtzee Zoom. Everyone
lifers
Where: Huntley Meadows Park When: 12:50pm Bird Species: American robin, yellow-rumped warbler, common grackle, downy woodpecker, tufted titmouse, northern cardinal, mourning dove, red-headed woodpecker, mallard, Canada goose, blue-gray gnatcatcher, common yellowthroat, white-throated sparrow, wood duck, red-winged blackbird, white-eyed vireo (lifer), eastern bluebird, American