September 7, 2026

Where: Hidden Oaks Nature Center

When: 4:10 pm

Bird Species: white-breasted nuthatch, downy woodpecker, blue jay, Carolina chickadee, mourning dove, American crow, house finch

Things I Thought About:

• I guess I am the single most Indoors Kid to ever drop $393.80 at REI.
• You mislay a pair of $89.95 binos and you immediately replace them with a pair of $229.95 binos. That's birding. What can you do.
• God help me if something ever happens to this camera; I'll be making Klarna payments when I'm dead.
• Anyway, huge day for binos and not too many photos. My previous pair was 10x25, and my new pair is 8x42, so much better view in low light. They have a little heft to them, too, and some color and texture to the casing, so if I set them down in the woods, I bet I'll be able to find them again. I like them quite a bit.
• I also found the only pair of light grip hiking shoes in the store that were not on Labor Day sale, and I restocked my Permethrin because I want to go to one of coastal refuges soon and the biting flies are still bad.
• I also bought a pack of Jelly Bellys. How are they so good? Why don't they sell the Fruit Bowl mix in every store?
• My favorite Jelly Belly flavors, ranked: juicy pear, tangerine, sweet peach, berry blue, lemon. I will not be taking questions.
• Well, it is Labor Day, and yet another summer has ended where I never went on a boat. This must stop. Next year is my year, I just know it.

BOTD: Carolina chickadee. Listen, all these photographs today are bad, for two reasons. One, as you can surely tell at this point, I had the camera settings fucked up, so the light is too yellow and nothing was in focus. Second, I was rushed after spending too much time on my errands, but I was so excited to get outside with the new binos that I carried them with me without first putting the strap on, so I was just a big fumbly mess, trying to use the camera while also holding the binos tucked under my arm, or trying to find a good, safe place to set them down before framing the shot, which made things even more rushed and blurry.

This is probably the worst blog entry of the year so far, but everyone gets a day off today so why not me, too.