July 28, 2026
Where: the neighborhood
When: 8:20 am
Bird Species: house sparrow, gray catbird, European starling, northern cardinal, mourning dove
Things I Thought About:
- There is a mourning dove nearby that is wailing away. What a sound. I love it. People say it's sad, but it's so consistent and strong, to me it's more like a rooster's "Cock-a-doodle-doo" than something genuinely plaintive like a white-throated sparrow.
- I really miss white-throated sparrows.
- That catbird is cute. I don't usually take photos of birds on feeders, but I can't resist this one. Everybody loves the little guy with the hat.
- A pervasive fantasy where I can lie down on top of a ball or block of the correct size and consistency, and the ache at the base of my neck will spark into blinding pain for maybe three and a half seconds and then completely vanish.
- When I was younger (last year) I was sure the best way to enjoy a summer wind was to turn my back to it and lift the hair off the back of my neck, but now in my maturity I recognize that the best way to enjoy a summer wind is to turn my body dead square facing it and scoop my hair up and away from my temples, and let the breeze cool under my arms and the damp at my hairline.
- I do not want to go into the office today.
- I do not want to work at all today; I want to get a pedicure.
BOTD: House sparrow. I see them every time I leave the house, but today, for whatever reason, it really struck and resonated with me that this is one of the most widespread species in the world.
They are originally European, just like most things in the USA, and they are now everywhere in Europe, everywhere in Asia, everywhere in North America, most of South America, and a lot of sub-Saharan Africa. That's pretty badass, actually. It lives almost everywhere that people do. The default parking lot and sidewalk bird, even more so than pigeons. I can't remember a day since I started paying attention to birds when I haven't seen one.
