Back Up Bird
Where: n/a When: n/a Bird Species: n/a Things I Thought About: * I didn’t see any birds today. I went to work, and then had work happy hour, and then had dinner reservations with wonderful friends. Now it is almost 11pm and I’m half in the
warblers
Where: Eakin Park at Tobin Road When: 5:35 pm Bird Species: yellow-rumped (myrtle) warbler, ruby-crowned kinglet, eastern bluebird, tufted titmouse Things I Thought About: * Boy today at work was fucking stupid. * This is the exact reason one gets in to birds, because you know you can discover
mourning dove
Where: the neighborhood When: 1:47 pm - 2:10 pm Bird Species: house sparrow, northern mockingbird, mourning dove, European starling Things I Thought About: * Ah, yes, the ideal and perfect conditions for a bird walk: fleeing my desk in the middle of the work day before I say “motherfucker” in
swamp friends
Where: Huntley Meadows Park When: 7:21 am Bird Species: northern cardinal, yellow-rumped warbler, house finch, eastern bluebird, white-throated sparrow, song sparrow, common grackle, white-breasted nuthatch, northern flicker, red-bellied woodpecker, great blue heron, downy woodpecker, red-winged blackbird, swamp sparrow, great egret, Canada goose, lesser yellowlegs,
lifers
Where: Hidden Oaks Nature Center When: 1:10 pm Bird Species: American robin, yellow-rumped warbler, chestnut-sided warbler (lifer), ruby-crowned kinglet, Carolina chickadee, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch, northern cardinal, downy woodpecker, American crow, mourning dove, house finch Things I Thought About: * If every single person fails to
backyard birds
Where: the neighborhood When: 5:25 pm Bird Species: house sparrow, house finch, downy woodpecker, gray catbird, mourning dove, European starling, northern cardinal Things I Thought About: * Some private stuff, of a pleasant variety, for once. * Around noon, the tree outside my window was an absolute hive of bird activity,
sparrows
Where: my complex When: 6:24 pm Bird Species: song sparrow, mourning dove Heard but not seen: northern cardinal, gray catbird, house sparrow, American robin Things I Thought About: * My sister. It is her birthday. She has read every word I’ve ever written, starting with my 4th grade diary
mockingbird
Where: Smithsonian Castle Gardens When: 4:50 pm Bird Species: northern mockingbird, rock pigeon, northern cardinal, European starling, blue jay, American robin, common grackle Things I Thought About: * It is 82 goddamn degrees. I walked over here after work and the minute I stopped walking I was in a full
warblers
Where: Eakin Community Park at Tobin Road When: 5:30 pm Bird Species: white-breasted nuthatch, American robin times a billion, eastern bluebird, American goldfinch, yellow-rumped warbler, Carolina wren Things I Thought About: * Okay, well, here we are again at a park that until late this summer I had
woodpeckers
Where: the neighborhood When: 11:00 am Bird Species: house sparrow, northern mockingbird, white-breasted nuthatch, red-bellied woodpecker, northern cardinal, blue jay, downy woodpecker, Carolina wren Things I Thought About: * What a pretty day to be off work. I’m a little sad that I can’t make it
Back Up Bird
Where: Huntley Meadows Park, naturally When: Thanksgiving weekend 2025 Bird Species: n/a, rain out Things I Thought About: * I was looking through older photo disks for a bird to post today, as it has been raining all day, and something has definitely fucked up in my camera since I
Fairfax County Birds
Where: Hidden Oaks Nature Center When: 2:04 pm Bird Species: blue jay, tufted titmouse, mourning dove, white-breasted nuthatch, red-bellied woodpecker, Carolina chickadee, American robin, American Crow Things I Thought About: * The inflammation in my Achilles is very much down, and I am allowed to start building back