JULY 2024-NOW BIRDING

Birds in italics are new to my life-list.

5/09/2024

Fish Creek Provincial Park
You know, I really didn't want to write this and I don't know why. I had a great time, that's not it, I just didn't want to open Obsidian and start chronicling it after... or the next day... or the next... Sigh.

Anyway I was with my grandma this time and it was a beautiful fall day. We saw a bunch of mergansers at the start, and some mallards and scaups and gulls and things. There was a single Canada goose apparently circling overhead; I guess he was on patrol.
The first magpie we saw was being trailed by a seagull, which was sort of funny. I wonder what he did to piss him off.

Loadsa starlings as per usual this time of year and a bunch of chickadees and nuthatches--and THE CURSE IS BROKEN because a chickadee landed on me twice and my book once! Very special. I can't get over how light they are.
Final notable thing we saw was a pair of muskrats swimming in a little pond-ish place they must live on the shore of. They are interesting to watch; they dive very quickly and are very skittish, and look a bit like the Costco house-brand version of a beaver. I've seen them before but never for this long; we got to watch them both swim around for a good long while.

1/08/2024

Weaselhead Natural Area
Went with my Grandma this time. I think we were a bit late in the day but we did get to see a goldfinch at least, which was nice. We only saw him very briefly but we saw him several times, like a yellow jewel darting in and out of the woods.
The swallows were fun to watch as always. They're like little stunt pilots. The tricks they pull in the air are so neat and of course they must think nothing of them!
Most excitingly--whatever witch's curse was placed upon me has been lifted because a chickadee finally landed on my hand. Finally!! Only for about a milisecond but it was enough. So magical. And they weigh nothing at all!