Thanks for your thoughtful post Kevin,
I too am enjoying observing birds going about their daily lives in our
garden. From various previous posts, I know many other tweeters are
feeling the same way.
I would like to add the thought that aside from the great benefits humans
get from being outside, and apart from heightening our understanding of the
feathered tribe we love so much, there is a benefit to our planet in
lessening the consumption of fossil fuels that results from simply staying
home, and I think it is pretty well understood that birds, of all the
wonderful life on this planet, really can benefit from any lessening of
climate change.
Get to know birds better, lessen even in a small way the causes of climate
change, and avoid the stress of traveling in a time of pandemic...seems a
win, win, win to me.
cheers
Claire Acord,
Whidbey Island
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Message: 4
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Date: Sat, 7 Nov 2020 14:56:55 -0800
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From: Kevin Lucas <vikingcove at gmail.com>
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To: Tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
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Subject: [Tweeters] Home, thank you, treats.
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Message-ID:
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<
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CA+YY602iwVivTmHA0W5XmMJc+hzxgWWvD+qQohi4sZpbAjpw1A at mail.gmail.com>
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Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
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First I want to thank all the bird watchers, photographers, and
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competitive bird listers who continue to refrain from unnecessary travel
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during this pandemic. Regardless of your individual motivation or
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limitations, the effect of helping reduce the spread of deadly disease is a
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great thing. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Truly.
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Birdwatching in our yard is quite rewarding, even when there aren't
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remarkable highlights, but today provided highlights, letting me see
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several gems.
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Loads and loads of American Goldfinches and Pine Siskins fed on bird seed
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and on sunflowers planted by sloppy summer birds. I watched eighty
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goldfinches fly off, leaving sixty in the same tree, and more on feeders
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and flower heads and on the ground. There were probably sixty or more Pine
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Siskins here too, the most I've seen together down out of the mountains.
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Two Lesser Goldfinches called then showed themselves -- an uncommon treat.
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As I was watched a Red-tailed Hawk thermalling, I spotted a pair of
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smaller buteos doing the same -- Broad-winged Hawks, another rare treat. It
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was neat to see the stark difference in wing and tail shape.
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I enjoy actually observing birds, and feel rewarded with anything that
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lets me distinguish individual birds. Though a different kind of treat from
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rarities, I don't recall the last time I found a bird with a lower (not
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upper) bill that's overgrown. Today I spotted and photographed such an
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American Goldfinch. With loads here, I couldn't look at them all, but I
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sure looked carefully at many. One group seemed to be in a much earlier
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stage of molt than most. Their spashes of bright yellow and white were
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refreshing.
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As sunset approaches, Anna's Hummingbirds get more and more active at our
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feeders. Today I was able to distinguish an adult male, adult female, two
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juvenile females, and three juvenile males. Though I've seen seven
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individual Anna's Hummingbirds in a day at our home several times over the
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last eight or so years, it's extraordinarily rewarding each time.
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A Band-tailed Pigeon, a Black-throated Gray Warbler, and two Red
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Crossbills and are among other recent treats here.
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Please, again, accept my sincere gratitude for refraining from
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unnecessary travel.
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Halloween's a-comin'
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Twitch or Treat!
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Kevin Lucas
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Bird watching & getting treats at home -- Yakima County, WA
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