January 16, 2026

Where: the neighborhood

When: 2:40pm

Bird Species: house sparrow, northern mockingbird, house finch, European starling, American crow, northern cardinal, Cooper's hawks plural, American robin, blue jay, mourning dove

Things I Thought About:

• Bridgerton. I have been reading a series of romances set in the same era, and they are wonderful, smutty little confections (Amalie Howard, if you care) and I don’t know if I’m up for another mediocre season of Bridgerton. They'll never touch season 2.
• Anthony goes down on Kate all the time, but you never see anyone on Bridgerton blow a dude. Should have been you, Benedict.
• Okay, well, that Cooper’s hawk is just a regular now. 
• I am sick of this cold gray weather. I have taken a photo a day for two weeks and only two of them are actually what I would call “good photos.” I need sunlight to get even a half-decent shot. "Auto-settings" my butt.
• Also, it’s cold as hell. I waited for the warmest part of the day to walk, and it is still 35. I am a Southerner; my blood is too thin for this.
• Is this still in the south? I mean, it’s Virginia, it has to be, but the area around the district is so full of grubby little transient climbers it doesn’t feel like it. That’s why meeting the people in the neighborhood this week has been nice. I have been in a friendly, innocuous chat deficit. 
• A woman has come home while I am on the sidewalk looking at the hawk, and she says I should please feel free to come into her driveway to look at birds any time I want. I respect it.
• Why do I only see house finches on days when it’s too cloudy to appreciate those gorgeous colors? I need sunshine, dammit.
• Oh, holy moly, that is ANOTHER hawk! I didn’t see any in the neighborhood last winter and now two within two blocks. Granted, last winter I was mostly on the couch.
• It is good to get outside every day. I need to burn more calories, though. Only two weeks in and I'm already sick of eating healthy. Maybe I should take up combat sports. I want to beat something up.
• I should bring a trash bag on these walks. I can’t impeach and remove the government, but I can pick up the litter.

BOTD: House finch. They are pretty little birds. The males have gorgeous orangey-red colors on their heads and throats and breast, and the females are muted drab browny-gray, and they both have distinct streaks. They look great together. Loud singers. They like the brushy hedges.