urban birds

May 14, 2026

Bird of the Day: the rock pigeon. I did absolutely nothing with settings to take this eerie photo, and I made zero edits. I like it quite a lot.

Where: the Dunn Loring Merrifield WMATA station parking garage

When: 5:25 pm

Bird Species: rock pigeon

Things I Thought About:

I mis-timed everything today, and this cold is getting worse instead of better. I don't want to go for a walk.
It's raining? It's raining.
Oh, good. Some pigeons are here.
This totally counts.
I bet I am in bed before Jeopardy! is over tonight.

BOTD: the rock pigeon. Sorry, I am under the weather, and I took an easy shot here. These birds were fish in a barrel.

The photo up top makes them look like ghosts? Pigeons in the mist.

I don't care what anybody says, these are pretty birds. Among individuals, there is a lot of variation on the gray, purple and green theme, and they have a nice profile. Good feet, too.

I think Sexy Rock Pigeon could be a very classy and attractive Halloween costume, if you do it right.

May 17, 2026

Where: Brookfield Park When: 4:50 pm Bird Species: red-winged blackbird, European starling, house sparrow, yellow-rumped warbler, American robin, northern cardinal, blue jay Things I Thought About: * When The Niece was little, four or five or six, we’d have Sunday night supper at the other aunt’s house and

March 16, 2026

Where: Pine Ridge Park When: 10:45 am Bird Species: European starling, northern cardinal, house sparrow, American crow, tufted titmouse, eastern towhee, American robin Things I Thought About: * There is a small cemetery behind these playing fields, and to step back in to the woods to see it is like

May 15, 2026

Where: Lake Accotink Marina When: 5:30 pm Bird Species: American robin, house sparrow, downy woodpecker, European starling, song sparrow, blue-gray gnatcatcher, song sparrow, American goldfinch, Canada goose, double-crested cormorant, great crested flycatcher, barn swallow Things I Thought About: * [some extremely redacted shit about The State of Things] * How does

May 13, 2026

Where: Hidden Oaks Nature Center When: 5:50 pm Bird Species: Carolina chickadee, house finch, eastern towhee, northern cardinal, American crow, white-breasted nuthatch Things I Thought About: * This tree has two chickadees in it, and it sounds like it could be thirty. They have that buzzy little call, and I

Read more

May 17, 2026

March 16, 2026

May 15, 2026

May 13, 2026