Yesterday I took a study break and drove up the river in Riverside Park where we had been Sunday on our leisurely Sunday drive. On Sunday I had spotted several little birds that were clinging to pine tree trunks, but they were backlit and I didn't have my binoculars! I was hoping they would be there when I went back - and they were! I was able to see a black-capped chickadee, a mountain chickadee, a red-breasted nuthatch, a white-breasted nuthatch, and my FIRST pygmy nuthatch!
I didn't have the camera with me, so I stole this picture off of google. It looks just like the birds I saw. It was fun to see all of these birds together - especially since there were males and females of both species. It really helps to identify a new species when similar ones are nearby! I am up to 230 life birds and hoping to get to 300 by the end of this year. I plan to make it out to the coast to see shore birds (probably in September), get in some owls with the audobon group this summer, and hopefully manage to get the more common species I am missing by getting out and about this spring. We have several natural areas here, and some with birds that I wouldn't see elsewhere. Clarks nutcrackers and crossbills shouldn't be too hard to find. I might have to do some hiking, but I know they are out there!
2 comments:
I drive andy crazy by always pointing out birds- especially hawks and eagles (I saw a bald eagle in Odgen canyon about 2 weeks ago), but I admit that I will probably take up bird hunting when I have more time to do it! :)
We get black-capped chickadees, red-breasted nuthatches, and white-breasted nuthatches at our bird feeder. The pygmy is really cute; I wished they lived around here. My favorite bird-watching ever was seeing quetzals in Costa Rica. We lucked out and saw about 10 at once.
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