Friday, February 21, 2014

Birdlog #7 - 2-20-14: Why I love birdwatching

Two days ago, when I decided to go birding (two stinking days after the Great Backyard Bird Count ends), I was reminded why I love it so much: Everything you see is unexpected! For instance: I pointed out to my fellow birder a Bald Eagle, and he screamed, "REALLY?!" "Mmhmm," I replied, awestruck at the contrasting black-and-whiteness of the majestic eagle flying directly over my head. Then, fifteen minutes later, we find ourselves completely surrounded by Tufted Titmice. We never actually saw one, but we heard them everywhere. I knew they were titmice by their "Peter! Peter! Peter!" call.
So here's the list of birds that I saw:

  • 1 Bald Eagle
  • 1 Red-tailed Hawk (possible)
  • 2 Killdeer (possible, heard only)
  • 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
  • 1 Blue Jay
  • 3 American Crows
  • 5 Black-capped Chickadees
  • 3 Tufted Titmice
  • 1 White-breasted Nuthatch (possible, heard only)
  • 4 American Robins (the first I've seen this year!)
  • 3 European Starlings
  • 2 Cedar Waxwings (possible)
  • 10 Dark-eyed Juncos (Slate-colored supspecies)
  • 3 Northern Cardinals
  • 5 House Finches
  • 7 House Sparrows
  • 1 passerine sp. (meaning one that I couldn't identify)

Yeah, it's a lot. I know. That's why I'm so happy.

End.

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