It’s a beautiful clear morning, but it’s 31oF out there. 9:00 a.m.
Boots ✅
Double socks ✅
Thermal underwear ✅
Jeans ✅
Long sleeve undershirt ✅
Heavy hoodie ✅
Fleece jacket ✅
Windbreaker jacket ✅
Balaclava ✅
Helmet ✅
Gloves ✅
Dark riding glasses ✅
Check! I got everything I need for the birding e-bike ride.
Wait! Go back up the stairs and get the camera.
OK, good to go now. Back down the stairs, get the bike out of the storage closet.
Wait! Go back up the stairs again, get the keys.
Call it a day. It’s 1:00 p.m. by now.
Just kidding.
It really was gorgeous out Wednesday morning, the 14th. I actually didn’t forget anything, but that checklist is for real. And, yeah, I have actually gone out the door and down the stairs without my camera. Senior moment.
But I have learned now to the check the microwave when I can’t find my coffee.
…
I planned to make my regular circuit, out to this vantage point to see if anything unusual was on the pondlet. It has happened before. Pretty as the scenery was this morning, just the Mallards. But hey, they’re fine.
On to the bike path; first stop at the horse corral where the old feral plum tree is a winter not-bare branch buffet for the House Finches. Or is it Purple Finch? I really think this is Purple Finch.
At least this one we know for certain. Dark-eyed Junco, “Oregon” sub-species.
Golden-crowned Sparrow, “first winter”
There Will Be Hawks
Red-tailed Hawk
Ferruginous Hawk, on an antenna structure at our small local airport. Bird was not very large so I think it is a relatively young one.
I was able to get out in front of the hangar building and capture the Ferggie from the other side.
Final bare-branch Red-tailed Hawk of the day. Out of focus, because of course it was. 😜
And it only took me two hours to thaw out when I got back home.
*****
Now it’s your turn. What’s been up in your nature-wise world?
The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge. We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns.
We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below.
Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the phenological patterns that are quietly unwinding around us. To have the Daily Bucket in your Activity Stream, visit Backyard Science’s profile page and click on Follow.
