The best thing about birding is that you can do it at any time any where. Birds are all around, you just have to look.
I don’t need to go somewhere special to see a first of season bird or even a new lifer. They just show up as I live my life. Unfortunately, this means that I’m not carrying my Nikon but relying on my cellphone for photos.
The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge. We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns.
We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below.
Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the phenological patterns that are quietly unwinding around us. To have the Daily Bucket in your Activity Stream, visit Backyard Science’s profile page and click on Follow.
One morning my spouse had a in-person doctor’s appointment and needed some lab tests done. I headed out to the car early and noticed a variety of birds hanging around the parking lot and landscaping. The warbler was on the sidewalk by my car. It was a first sighting of the winter season for me. I had looked for warblers where I usually see them at Colusa NWR and Cosumnes River Preserve but didn’t see any.
In addition, I took the following photos in the parking lot:
Western Bluebird
Mourning Doves in the handicapped parking. There are two other birds too blurry to ID but I think one is another YR Warbler.
Gold Crowned Sparrow and Black Phoebe
A couple of White Crowned Sparrows sit in a tree next to the building.
Then this past weekend, spouse and I went to visit his cousin who lives up in the foothills. As we knocked on the door, I heard wings fluttering, turned around and saw a lifer — my first White Breasted Nuthatch.
White-Breasted Nuthatch on the feeder in front of my husband’s cousin’s house.
My husband’s cousin was amused by my excitement. “I see him almost every day. He’s always waiting in the tree for me to fill the feeder when it’s empty,” she told me.
There was also a hummingbird but he stayed well out of camera shot. Some House Sparrows flew by and quickly flitted into some bushes.
So keep an eye out as you run to the grocery store, doctor’s office, or visit family or friends. Who knows what little birdies will pop up.
The weather has been pretty nice with temps around 70 but we have a storm coming in on Wednesday. We are still an inch below average so we can really use the rain.
What’s up in your neck of the woods?
