swamp friends

July 3, 2026

Sara Kate Wilkinson

Sara Kate Wilkinson

— 5 min read
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July 3, 2026
Bird of the Day: red-winged blackbird, heat proof.

Where: Huntley Meadows Park

When: 6:43 am

Bird Species: tufted titmouse, Carolina wren, downy woodpecker, great blue heron, blue-gray gnatcatcher, great egret, Canada goose, indigo bunting. Tree swallow, eastern kingbird, barn swallow, red-winged blackbird, red-bellied woodpecker, Acadian flycatcher

Things I Thought About:

  • Boggling at 86 degrees before 7 am. I cannot believe that less than a month ago I paid money to go to the Korean spa and sweat like this in a closed room.
  • I want to walk slowly because it's just so hot and thick, but the slower I move the later I get to the boardwalk, where there is zero shade. There will not be any sitting down to watch a heron fish today.
  • It is still quite early and there are men here running in this steam, t-shirts going almost completely dark with sweat, which, I get it. I understand why you would do this, The Bigger Loser, etc., but I simply would die.
  • The gratification! The vindication! I brush a tick off my pants before it can attach, and of course it could never get me in my hair, for I am wearing a stupid, terrible looking bandana, as always. You'll never get me, tick.
  • Bug Spray, Sun Screen, Head Rag, Small Fan, I'm Gonna Live Forever
  • So naturally I get sidetracked for five minutes right before the boardwalk, by frogs, of all things. I spot two spring creepers, and they are so tiny and close that my long lens can't focus. I'm happy with myself for even noticing them.
the bird of the day is tiny frog
  • I can't believe I spied these guys. Usually at this particularly point on the trail, I'd be looking for woodpeckers high on the other side of the trail, but maybe instead of staring into the blazing sun and the treetops, I should be looking on my level, closer to the ground. Maybe that's the lesson I should be pocketing today.
  • The honeysuckle does smell absolutely luscious today. Can honeysuckle bake? Like a pie? Its smells that good and strong.
  • At least one other regular is out today, a pair of oldsters who live nearby and come every day. The dream. We chat about the holiday weekend. In a contribution to social niceties, I manage to convert "a normal president" to "most presidents" at the last second. Completely unnecessarily, as it turns out; they practically spit on the ground when the spectre of the D.C. fireworks is mentioned. "That man," this quite elderly woman says in a way that makes me glad she's not talking about me.
I assume that readers swipe these photos bigger, which is necessary today as this downy was among the more cooperative of the residents today. Everyone was keeping their distance.
  • I wipe the sweat off my face two-handed, the way people sometimes wipe tears off their face in the movies, and when I flick them, actual drops fly off. It's pretty disgusting!
  • Okay, yeah, so, this is the stuff. You can be hot, you can be sweaty, you can suspect your sunscreen has completely melted off, your Achilles can be sore from exercising it properly, you can wonder if this is worth it, and then you can see a tree swallow sharing a big old summer bug with its kid, while the other ones patiently wait their turn. You can't get this in the A/C.
Badly backlit, naturally, but so fun and funny to watch. He ate two, and they are bugs as big as his head.
I watched them long enough to feel baked through, but it was worth it.
  • That was lovely, but you know it's bad out here when a die-hard like me is thinking about calling it a day at 8:21 am.
  • OKAY, it's not a good photo, but it is a photo, of my nemesis. I'm getting closer. I'll feature you sooner or later, bunting, mark my words.
He was sensibly in the shade today, but there was enough sunlight everywhere that he still looked blue all over. See how bright he is, in the patch where the sun hits me directly? Structural color in the plumage, meaning the way the feather is constructed refracts to create the color. A really tricky bird to capture in a way that does it justice.
  • Here is the spot where I always have to go into the woods, but not the slightest inkling of a need today. Where is the science on the subject of can you sweat out all your pee?
  • I'm calling it. I suspect my face is something in the nature of A Terrible Warning to people just arriving at 9:00 am. It is a public service.

BOTD: Red-winged blackbird. These guys do not give a fuck about a heat wave. There were the usual ten or so, very loud and scrappy as ever, and they were all yelling, "go HOOOOME," "FOOOOOOL," etc.

A face that clearly says, "Are you still here?? What are you doing?"

I saw the very first, singular white bloom of swamp hibiscus today. Like the first kernel of popcorn popping in the pan, letting you know that this place is about to go crazy. I love how this park looks when it's in full pink and white marshmallow bloom. I'll be excited to show you in a few weeks.

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