MARCH 2022-JUNE 2024 BIRDING

Birds in italics are new to my life-list.

25/06/2024 to 30/06/2024

Palm Springs and Surrounding Cities
I didn't go properly birdwatching in Palm Springs (too damn hot!) though I would have really liked to. But I did still see some feathered friends down there while doing other things and three of them were new to me! I also may have seen a night-heron but I couldn't really identify him.
Hummingbirds are a staple down in the desert--I'd never seen one before so I was quite excited when I spotted my first while visiting the zoo. The Living Desert is a very bird-heavy zoo, by the way--they have pelicans and marabou storks and even a kookaburra! But there also lots of wild hummingbirds and things around the botanical gardens and attached hiking trails, and I saw lotsa them zipping around.
They seem so busy! And I guess they are, knowing hummingbird metabolisms. My favourite hummingbird sighting, though, was seeing one near our hotel's pool being fed by another every few minutes--I suppose it must have been a fledgeling or something and that was it's mother. It was very well-camouflaged--I could barely make it out.
At the Living Desert I also saw a wild roadrunner, which was very, very cool. It did indeed run across the road in front of us. Do they eat lizards? I bet they eat lizards. Anyway seeing a roadrunner was definitely on my bucket-list, so I was very excited.
The blackbirds were in the airport. Palm Springs has an open-air airport, which would have been cooler if it wasn't 45 degrees celsius. Literally cooler! They were just hanging around on the chairs and water fountains and gate-desks and things.

20/05/2024

Prince's Island Park
It was raining today. We still saw a lot though.
I've abandoned EBird and am now working with a paper journal and guidebook (using Scythebill for my PC recordkeeping... and this site o'course). It feels a lot nicer, like a real analogue hobby. It was a little awkward 'cuz of the rain but I worked it.
It was the usual suspects--robins, geese, ducks. There was one sad little mallard duck all by himself that swam alongside us for a while. I saw a goose repeatedly dip it's front in the water and then tip back, as though trying to rinse itself off while preening, which was neat.
Halfway through we stopped for breakfast at a restaurant with crappy service and some of the best eggs I've ever had. After that we saw a coyote--my first time seeing one actually, despite being a prairie-kid. He was diggin' around through garbage and was followed by some magpies, which I guess makes sense.
He wasn't alone though--we saw two others shortly after in the park itself. They were circling a family of mallards (parents and about four ducklings), trying to get themselves some breakfast I guess. More dramatic than what I usually expect for city parks! We didn't stick around to see what became of it but it was pretty striking.
Also my first goslings and blackbirds of the year (heard them last time but didn't see them.) Summer is finally here... finally...

21/04/2024

Inglewood Bird Sanctuary
Went out with my grandma today and had a blast.
Today's theme seemed to be Ducks In Unusual Places, which is to say trees. I say maybe four or five of them perched up in trees today, and one lady goldeneye darted into a little crevice on one that must've been a nest. The other stars of the show today were the swallows. I keep thinking they look more like bugs than birds when they're flying. I'm glad to see them again, they always seem happy.
Oh, and the Franklin's Gulls are back. Loud jerks. But they aren't so bad yet; they start getting really annoying in July.
Once again: guess who didn't have a chickadee land on her while one landed on her family member?? Are they spiting me?? What did I do to offend the chickadees... I feel like a character in a folk-tale who's gotta go on a magic quest so they don't curse my firstborn child to have, I dunno, webbed feet or something.

13/04/2024

Inglewood Bird Sanctuary
Another day, another bald eagle? Only briefly this time, but we got to watch him dive, which was pretty damn cool.
Heard a killdeer. Saw some geese sitting on a bridge. A chickadee landed on my mom's arm (how has that still not happened to me?). Saw some goldeneyes doing their weird little mating display. There was an abnormally large number of mergansers today. Also starlings are here again.
I don't have too much to say. It's just nice to be out again. The weather is perfect and the world seems full of light and life. I'm happy.

7/04/2024

Carburn Park
First trip of the year! Today was pretty rad. I set out early with my mom for breakfast and then birdwatching. We had a few detours on the way but we made it there eventually.
Today I decided not to keep exact counts to see if I enjoyed myself more as a result. I would say I did, so maybe no exact numbers in the future. I don't think any of you really care but whatever.
Anyway--we saw lots of buffleheads, a pair of female mergansers, some the two extremes of the bird size spectrum today: a bald eagle and a pair of kinglets. I still cannot wrap my head around how tiny kinglets are. They are so little it is amazing to think that they have full working organ systems and skeletons inside of them, and to think they're out-smallened by certain hummingbirds? Incomprehensible to me. The animal kingdom is so full of wondrous shit. I never get sick of it, ever.
We also saw two deer and loads of geese--they seemed to be fighting each other on the water, probably over mates I guess. It is that time of year.
We hit the farmer's market afterwards for this Korean fried chicken dish I am a really big fan of. I guess it is a bit morbid to go for fried chicken after birdwatching in a way, but that's life I guess. I think it's, like, a Tempura batter on dark meat, with this spicy sauce on top. It is killer.

6/08/2023

Inglewood Bird Sanctuary
Went birdwatching a few days ago and forgot to write it up here-sorry 'bout that!
I don't trust myself to remember everything we saw, but the best part was that we got to see a red-tailed hawk fairly up-close; I could see it's yellow eyes when using my monocular. They really do have red tails!

28/06/2023

Inglewood Bird Sanctuary
Headed out on a whim today before starting my summer-school stuff. It's really nice out, and the birds must've thought so too, because we saw lots of them: a bunch of wood ducklings on the river, loads of young robins, and some very loud wrens. I think my favourite were the house finches, though; they're sosoSO bright red! I'll never get sick of seeing 'em.
We also saw a deer right on the pathway and a bunch of ground squirrels, which seemed braver than usual.
I've also added two more species to my life-list: the drab, yet energetic western wood-pewee, and the nasally-sounding least flycatcher, which I heard but didn't see.

18/06/2023

Ralph Klein Park
It's Father's Day, so I went birdwatching with my dad. Ralph Klein is a park out by the city landfill and it's absolutely chock-full of yellow-headed blackbirds for some reason.
Out on the water, we saw a pair of red-necked grebes, which are new to me. They build their nests on the water out of floating plants-a pretty clever setup if you ask me. They don't have the prettiest calls, but that's OK. We can't all be Mark Bolan.
Aside from that, we saw some bank swallows, which traded their pretty iridescent swallow feathers for size, and ruddy ducks, which are absolutely stunning.

21/05/2023

Frank Lake
Headed out to Frank Lake today hopeful to see some pelicans. And we did-loads and loads of them, mostly flying overhead. I don't think I'll ever get sick of seeing them.
And I don't think I'll ever get sick of seeing goslings with their parents, either. There was a whole load of them out today. I also saw a shoveler for the first time in a while, and loads of yellow-headed blackbirds, which I've only seen once before. They sound like malfunctioning robots.
Note to self: bring bug spray next time. Helluva way to start mosquito season.

16/04/2023

Inglewood Bird Sanctuary
Today was my first real birdwatching trip of the year!
It's nice and sunny outside and I was pretty glad to get out. We saw the usual suspects; wood ducks, mergansers, starlings, so on and so forth. Also a few deer, about halfway through. It felt like a big family reunion.
The most exciting things today were the goldeneyes; we saw two of them performing their mating display, where they dip their head way back until it touches their back and call out. It's pretty funny, honestly. Cartoonish. My dad said it reminded him of this Homestar Runner cartoon for some reason.
We also saw a lesser yellowlegs, looking for breakfast in the river, and a prairie falcon, both of which are new to me! Pretty exciting.

27-28/03/2023

I went birdwatching twice during my trip to London; both times in Hyde Park. I wanted to visit some other parks but we didn't have time.
I only kept a proper log of the second trip so this is a sort-of composite list of both. It's more of a placeholder than anything else.
All sort-of typical for what you'd expect from that region-but did you know London has an invasive population of parakeets? I sure didn't! They're the descendents of released pets, supposedly. They're quite noisy.

15/01/2023

Inglewood Bird Sanctuary
Two days in a row, in January? Caught the birding bug, I guess.
We saw a number of ravens first-thing. One of them was hopping around on the ice; I think he was trying to grab a fish something else had caught and left there but he seemed nervy about it. There were tons of geese flying overhead, and hanging out on the riverbank; ditto for the mallards. We saw two nuthatches today and a downy woodpecker in a patch of trees, and loads of chickadees. They seemed really curious about us today. They kept landing on branches close to the path and chittering at us. Super-cute.

14/01/2023

Carburn Park
And here it is: my first birdwatching trip of the year!
Of course, it's not really spring yet. But I needed to decompress from studying for finals and there's no better way to do that than to go for a walk in the park.
And considering it's still winter, I had pretty good luck today: first thing off the bat we saw a group of deer resting just off the path, and numerous chickadees in the trees. When we got to the river, we saw loads of goldeneyes and redheads-the latter of which I've never seen before. Very interesting ducks.
Two of the male goldeneyes we saw were fighting each other, or maybe they were displaying for mates? They kept bending their necks back super far and quacking at each other, and chasing each other around in the water. It was neat, whatever it was.
We heard-but didn't see-a nuthatch and a house-finch, and then we saw two muskrats swimming in the river. I've only ever seen muskrats very briefly in the past, so it was pretty wicked to watch them for a while longer. They're really good swimmers.

25/12/2022

Prince's Island Park
Merry Christmas!
Today is the Christmas Bird Count. That all seems a little more formal than I'm used to, but I headed out today anyways. We walked down from our house to Prince's Island, which is a nice park near the river that's always full of geese.
Today was no different-I saw loads of them flying overhead, in their V-formations, honking back and forth to each other. It's a hallmark of winter up here and I love seeing it.
In the park, there were the typical winter suspects-chickadees, magpies, the like-and three crows, which are a tad unusual for this time of year. They were hanging out in a tree together, all in a vertical line. Very cartoon-y.
The highlight of the trip was a small patch of the river that had somehow avoided freezing over. There was a ton-and I mean a TON-of mallards and geese hanging out in it, and it was really lovely watching them. Sometimes I forget how much joy birds bring me 'til I actually get out there and see them. In-between all the mallards was a single male goldeneye, a literal odd duck. I guess he forgot to head south or something.

01/10/2022

Inglewood Bird Sanctuary
This is probably my last birdwatching trip for the year. I headed out with my grandma today. It's already October, so most of the migratory birds have headed south for the year, but the fall foilage makes it worth heading out anyways. Everything is gold and orange and it's totally stunning.
We must've seen a gajillion starlings. I couldn't keep track of them all. Noisy buggers.
The highlight of the trip was a great blue heron we saw sleeping in a tree overlooking the river. I still can't get over how prehistoric they look.

21/8/2022

Inglewood Bird Sanctuary
Had a really good run today!
The first notable thing we saw was an eastern kingbird, which I've never seen before.. and then another, and another, until there were five in all hanging out near the water. They're really striking birds!
We also saw both sorts of nuthatches, tons of starlings all in groups of five or six sitting at the tops of trees, and some ducklings.
About halfway through I spotted a cooper's hawk sitting in some trees just off the path. It was super close, honestly. Closest I've ever been to a hawk. He flew off shortly.
Not too long after that we saw a faun and it's mother walking through the woods on the other side of one of the smaller ponds.

4/8/2022

Fish Creek Provincial Park
A local birdwatching group I follow through my RSS feeder had a kingfisher sighting down in Fish Creek yesterday, so we drove down there hoping to see that. We weren't that lucky, but we did hear a number of song sparrows and a house wren, so it was an overall pleasant time. I also saw some sandpipers, and some waxwings chasing each other around a tree near the water.
In a bush I heard and barely saw a yellow warbler, which was exciting. I've never seen one before. Super-sunny-yellow.
There was a raven perched at the very tip-top of a tree cawing over and over again, which was pretty cool. Goth birdwatching. It' s a new thing I just invented it now. It's like regular birdwatching but... uh... I can't think of a punchline here. Sorry.

26/7/2022

Nose Creek Pond
Well, EBird calls it Nose Creek Pond. But that's overselling it a bit.
It's a dinky little storm-pond some ways off from a buncha industrial warehouses. Doesn't sound like a great place for birdwatching, you might think.. but you'd be wrong.
I've been lucky with ducks and merlins and such there tons of times and today was no different.
We saw a heron before we were out of the car. He was wading along the shoreline, hunting for frogs or fish or whatever. And now you watching along at home can see the heron, too, with the power of photography!!

Yes! Taken with the power of the phone-attachment doohickey that I got with my monocular from the dude on facebook marketplace.
I also took a video of him walking. If you'd like to see it, feel free to E-mail me.
Aside from the heron, we also saw an osprey soaring overhead for a little while, which was wicked, and some mallard ducks. We also saw a eared grebe and a merlin.
Finally we saw some savannah sparrows ticking through the grass, hunting for bugs and such. I've never seen 'em before so that was neat-o.

25/7/2022

Inglewood Bird Sanctuary
WE SAW TWO BALD EAGLES AND A GREAT BLUE HERON TODAY.
Do I even have to write anything else? Yes? Fine.
One of the eagles was on a small outcropping on the river shore so we got a super-close view of him. The other was on the other side of the river but we could still see him well enough with my monocular.
We saw the heron while it was flying. The graceful, streamlined shape of it, the way it folded it's head back over it's neck ever-so-slowly, the mean croaking call it made... It's one of those spiritually-affirming things. If that makes sense. It has a certain effect on a person and their perception of the world, like, mentally, I mean. Whatever.
We saw a merlin in-flight and a buncha mallard ducklings swimming with their momma. We saw a downy woodpecker busily hopping between branches of a small tree close to the path. We also watched some cedar waxwings eating berries which was pretty cute.
I guess it'd be worth mentioning that the reason I use 'we' on these is 'cause I usually go birdwatching with my dad. Two pairs of eyes are for-sure better than one when it comes to birdwatching.

2/7/2022

Inglewood Bird Sanctuary
Today is my birthday and I got to go birdwatching with three of my buddies. I had a wicked time. We joked that one of them must be good luck 'cause I got to see THREE NEW SPECIES OF BIRD TODAY. Best birthday gift ever.
We saw a merlin right when we started, which was neat, and a load of mergansers and goldeneyes. We saw some wood ducks and their chicks, like I did last time, and what I'm sure were the same pair of waxwings. Down by the water, on one of the fallen trees overhanging it, I was lucky enough to see a hooded merganser. I've wanted to see one for ages. They're super-striking.
We kept hearing something I didn't recognize and eventually we saw the source of it: two goldfinches!! They're the most yellow things I have ever seen. I cannot describe them in any other way. Seriously.
Just before we left we got a good show from a house-wren. Their calls are sooo loud for such little birds.

27/6/2022

Inglewood Bird Sanctuary
I went birdwatching with my grandma today. I haven't seen her in ages so it was great catching up with her. She birdwatches from her backyard and she's always sending me videos of the stuff she sees.
Early-mid summer is the best time for birdwatching for sure. We saw a ton of baby wood ducks with their mommas and even a merganser carrying her babies on her back, sort-of like loons are supposed to do. That was really sweet.
And if that wasn't enough: I saw a great blue heron for the first time! It was resting up in a tree and preening itself. It was super graceful-looking and wondrous.
AND THEN! We saw a bee-swarm. Like, the kind of swarming they do when they're looking for a new place to set up a nest or whatever. There were so many of them flying around and a bunch crawling around on a tree. I've never seen anything like that. Wicked-cool stuff.

14/5/2022

Carburn Park
It's the 20th EBird Big Day so I set out hoping to see something NEW and FRESH and EXCITING. And I got my wish: I saw a loon for the first time!! Kind-of. It was on the river and it kept diving in and out of the water and I could barely see it through my monocular but I'm like 90% sure it was a loon.
I also saw a pair of buffleheads for the first time and a bunch of more familiar species. I also saw some swallows, which is always an absolute joy. They're truly incredible in their flight patterns.
Headed out for lox and cream cheese after.

1/5/22

Carburn Park
 Headed out today hopeful to see some Franklin's gulls. If you catch them early enough in the season their chest-feathers are still sort-of pinkish 'cause they eat crustaceans in the winter while migrating, and I really wanted to see that. And I did! I got a really rad view of some of them who were just resting on the water.
What I really wasn't expecting was to see the bald eagle that lives by the river in the park again. I saw it last summer with my dad and it was seriously unbelievable. And it was just as majestic the second time.
Other than that, I saw some deer, which are always a cool bonus, and a bunch of my favourite duck species. I'm quite fond of American wigeons in particular. They're very dapper, with their white face-stripe and green eye-blaze.
Didn't get any photos this time.