let's talk about birds, baby

[piefessor]

I slightly regret not starting a birding blog last year when I started birding, but do I really have time for another blog? One full of blurry pictures of barely identifiable birds? Probably not

Comments

[platypus]

I love song sparrows! For some reason, they out-populate house sparrows on the campus where I work. Shortly after I came here, I started hearing these odd little songs, and wondered what they were -- quite a while later I finally spotted and identified the singers. It's been fascinating to hear the variations and dialects they seem to have, and how they seem to gradually evolve: it used to be the first four notes of Beethoven's fifth, a buzz, and then a little doodle, but now most of them only do the first note two or three times. I look forward to them every February, which is when they usually start up around here!

Last week, I was hiking and heard a lovely song, and was convinced that it must be a meadowlark. I was basing it only on "I'm pretty sure meadowlarks exist here, and that's an uncommonly pretty song." Imagine my surprise when I got a good enough photo to later confirm I was actually right! (Yes, they're very distinctive birds, but the one I saw was backlit and I really wasn't sure if I was seeing black and yellow or not!)

I also saw a towhee not too long ago. It is probably ridiculous to get excited over towhees, but when I was a little kid reading Peterson's and hoping to see something unusual, I hoped every robin I glimpsed would actually turn out to be a towhee. And it never was. Until now!

[piefessor]

I really hadn't seen any, and suddenly bam, I am seeing them up close and personal every day! Not that I could describe their songs, it sounds like you are paying attention though.

I know what you mean about the blacklit photos. I saw my first meadowlarks not that long ago and they were kind of startling! Not small birds, and such bold coloring!

Hahaha well congrats I guess? I have seen one million towhees. All California, though, so I'm sure I'll be excited when I see a Spotted!