Birds and book, day 70
Today, Eli and I wandered over to Schmitz Park in the rain because, some days, you just want to get out of the house and go for a walk. It was a fine time though we wandered down one street I'd never been on before and the houses, well, they gave me the wiggins. There were very few trees and the houses were big, flat, mostly brick affairs, likely dating from the 1950s or, who knows, the 1970s. It seems that there is some residential architecture that is just destined to make me feel depressed. Happily, we fairly quickly realized that we'd gone the wrong way (all those "dead end" signs being something of a clue) and it wasn't long before we were back on a proper Seattle block of older craftsmans and adobes and the like with proper trees in their front lawns. I took the opportunity to thank Eli for watching out for me during the house-buying process as I'm sure I could have ended up on such a street, had he not been around. (Okay; I'm sure I couldn't have afforded a house on that particular street but I do know I looked at some unsympathetic houses.)
Surprisingly, we saw a number of birds at Schmitz Park. We heard something that sounded very owl-like but we never actually saw it and we realized after a bit that it could, very possibly, have been a pigeon. Nonavian life consisted of a few squirrels, people, and half a dozen dogs. We found a tree that seemed like it should be in the running for "oldest tree in Seattle" (which I had thought was in Schmitz Park but which is actually in Seward Park); it was a cedar that was likely 22 to 27 feet in circumference at my arm height. Perhaps it's not the oldest but it was a fine old tree nonetheless.
Birds
American goldfinches
dark-eyed juncos
song sparrows
Anna's hummingbirds
black-capped chickadees
bushtits
robins
northern flickers
starlings
crows
pigeons
gulls
ruby-crowned kinglets
chestnut-backed chickadees
varied thrush
Pacific wren
The wren was hopping about and feeding right next to the trail; we were able to watch it for quite a few minutes, going about its business. It was *quite* excellent. Of course, given the wet when we set out, I had left my camera at home.
Book
Our Mutual Friend page 394
Surprisingly, we saw a number of birds at Schmitz Park. We heard something that sounded very owl-like but we never actually saw it and we realized after a bit that it could, very possibly, have been a pigeon. Nonavian life consisted of a few squirrels, people, and half a dozen dogs. We found a tree that seemed like it should be in the running for "oldest tree in Seattle" (which I had thought was in Schmitz Park but which is actually in Seward Park); it was a cedar that was likely 22 to 27 feet in circumference at my arm height. Perhaps it's not the oldest but it was a fine old tree nonetheless.
Birds
American goldfinches
dark-eyed juncos
song sparrows
Anna's hummingbirds
black-capped chickadees
bushtits
robins
northern flickers
starlings
crows
pigeons
gulls
ruby-crowned kinglets
chestnut-backed chickadees
varied thrush
Pacific wren
The wren was hopping about and feeding right next to the trail; we were able to watch it for quite a few minutes, going about its business. It was *quite* excellent. Of course, given the wet when we set out, I had left my camera at home.
Book
Our Mutual Friend page 394