Birding on the Nacimiento River photo by Robin Freeman
Like Mr. Toad in "The Wind in the Willows", I have a new mania. No, I am not prowling around stealing motorcars. Instead, I am obsessively watching, identifying, and counting birds.
During the weekend of February 13-16, Robin Freeman and I participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count. We made most of our counts on our individual properties in Forest River and during a 2-hour hike along the Nacimiento River. I conducted a survey on Lucky Friday the 13th at Hesperia Hall. And on the 14th, my Valentine and I went out to lunch and found one of the bald eagles that live out on Interlake. (By the way, Captain's Cove makes a mean plate of garlic fries.)
You can yawn and skip this paragraph if you like, but I wanted to get a solid bird count in print as a comparison for next year. Most of our observations were conducted in the early morning and late afternoon, since that is when birds are most active: 18 Turkey Vultures; 11 California Scrub Jays; 50 Wild Turkeys; 5 Anna's Hummingbirds; 2 California Thrashers; 78 California Quails; 3 Oak Titmouse; 8 California Towhees; 4 Bewick's Wrens; 2 White-breasted Nuthatches; 3 Acorn Woodpeckers; 1 Northern Flicker; 9 American Robins; 3 Red-winged Blackbirds; 9 Dark-eyed Juncos; 2 Steller's Jays; 1 Merlin; 3 Red-tailed Hawks; 1 Bald Eagle; 34 White-crowned Sparrows; 2 American Crows; 3 Yellow-billed Magpies; 3 American Kestrels; 67 Mourning Doves; 1 Band-tailed Pigeon; 5 House Sparrows.
As my skills evolve, I'm learning a few of the frustrations of birding. At one point, two water birds flew overhead, but even with a telephoto lens, we were unable to figure out what they were. Later, a small raptor made a dramatic plunge toward its prey, but again, it was moving too fast and too far away for us to identify.
Some birds we saw earlier in the week failed to appear for the count. A flock of cedar waxwings took up residence in our oak tree for several evenings the week before, but then absconded. I saw a golden eagle at the bottom of Robin's driveway, but then it too disappeared. Same for an American coot in their vernal pond. I was disappointed not to hear or see my great horned owl, who usually makes an appearance this time of year. Such are the vicissitudes of life.
I read recently that learning a new skill is even better for your brain than doing crosswords or Sudoku. Much to my Valentine's chagrin, I'll be continuing my new obsession. Even he has been known to exclaim in excitement, "Look! A murmuration!"
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