May 2, 2026
Where: Hidden Oaks
When: 11:00 am
Bird Species: American robin, pileated woodpecker, northern mockingbird, northern cardinal, American crow, house sparrow, American goldfinch, downy woodpecker, tufted titmouse, white-throated sparrow
Things I Thought About:
- I intended to be asleep until at least noon today but my niece, turns out, had a track meet at a school nine minutes from my house. She is objectively slow and not very good at track yet, but it was important for me to see her after a week.
- Also, there was a goldfinch and a catbird there.
- When I got out of the car here at the park, there was a pileated woodpecker tearing up a log, but as soon a the auto-focus dialed in he took off and I lost him completely.
- I learned to say "You're welcome" in Ukrainian this week.
- It was very crowded and very loud at the track, and now there is a child's birthday party at the nature center.
- It is rude for a pileated woodpecker to fly around out here without making his call. I keep seeing him fly to a tree and not realizing it's him until it's a few seconds too late to catch a photo.
- I suppose it was inevitable that I would have a bad day birdwatching today. Give me a day to get my achies and my crankies out. I also should have gone somewhere where it's easier to be quiet.
- I will be the first to say that my efforts to catch up to this woodpecker are half-hearted. Nevertheless, he is thoroughly pissing me off.
- I saw that Running Point season 2 has dropped; what I really want to be doing today is sitting alone in my dark, cool apartment eating takeout and watching a few hours of a television show I hate.
- Do you think the pileated woodpecker was named for being such a fucking pill.
BOTD: a hermit thrush. I saw him fly in, and wasn't sure what he was until I focused. I instantly thought, "yes, hermit, good idea."
I had a fascinating week at this big special operations medicine scientific assembly, but I was "on" 14 hours a day every day, even with my co-workers, who I am just meeting. I am going to go home and nap on the couch for like three hours (note later: four and half, it turns out.)
Hermit thrushes are such special little guys, shy and sweet, and as I always must mention, that solid white eye ring always makes him look a little startled or nervous. He landed for just a few seconds, acknowledged me not at all, and then he was gone. A nice moment.
