February 17, 2026

Where: my complex

When: 1:00pm

Bird Species: northern cardinal, blue jay, house sparrow, song sparrow, house finch, fish crow, cedar waxwing, American robin, mourning dove, dark-eyed junco, white-throated sparrow. Heard but not seen: Carolina chickadee, Carolina wren.

Things I Thought About:

• An unbelievably stressful conversation I must have before COB, and how much I do not wish to have it, but how badly it would go down as a surprise email.
• How badly my sister and I, a juggernaut team of two middle-aged nerds, beefed it at pub quiz last Tuesday, and how absolutely essential it is to my ego, ordinarily excellent, that we at least place tonight.
• The sun is out for what looks like one of maybe 5 hours expected all week, and I do not have time to go anywhere except around my own buildings. At least I can wear crocs; the snow is almost entirely gone after Sunday’s rain.
• The birds have no idea what kind of pressure they are under. Soothe me, dammit.
• There is a gang of what I would guess are 9- to 12- year old boys doing a little soccer shooting in the courtyard, and every one of them is swearing like Brian Cox will play them in the movie. It’s incredible. I am too charmed by these rotten little bastards.
• A few years ago, a phrase that caught fire with what I assume are their older brothers was “chugs nuts,” as in “this homework chugs nuts,” “early practice chugs nuts,” etc. No phrase from this crop has so captured the ear and the imagination, but they’re slinging “what the fuck”s like it’s their job.
• I don’t think I have ever seen water in the ravine between our property and the neighboring condos, but I guess between the rain and the snowmelt it’s deep enough now for a bird bath. There are sparrows flying down and coming back up soaking wet, drying on a branch for a bit, and going back down. It’s like a loop, many of them are participating. I don’t think it had occurred to me before that of course, they won’t have been able to bathe in the freeze.
• I did look straight up at two mourning doves right above me in a tree yesterday and their under feathers were genuinely filthy. I hope they find this creek while it's running.

• Well, I will be damned. I had tagged Cedar waxwings as special guest stars earlier in the month, but I got 5 in the neighborhood for the Bird Count, and here are three by the playground! I got a decent shot where you can see the shiny spot of sealing-wax red on the wing that gives them their name.

• The winterberry holly tree has robins, waxwings, and a cardinal in it right now, nibbling away. An abundance. For them and for me.

• I think I have accidentally been watching this tree for like 25 minutes.

BOTD: The one-of-kind cedar waxwing. And I guess just a regular backyard bird now? I'm glad I turned in my Bird Count lists this weekend, because I'm pretty sure we didn't have them on the property last year. What a treat.

In addition to the red waxy spot, they have brilliant yellow waxy tail tips. A truly striking bird.