Everyday pleasures and momentous victories

Although I have not done any active birding of late, I have been observing and watching as often as I can.

My friends and I walk along the Duck Creek Trails in the morning. They talk and laugh, but I am in another world. The birds are performing for me. The Cardinal takes the melody. The chickadees and doves harmonize until the pervasive Mockingbird eagerly usurps the production.

I’ve grown up with the Blue Jay. I remember being a little girl, eyes wide with wonder, staring at this bright bird perched on the fence. The bird is no less magnificent today. Recently, I saw a family of blue jays. The two fledglings waited on a branch, tail feathers still short and only a bit of fuzz to serve as a crest. Both parents soon arrived, and the baby birds attempted squeaky imitations of their parents’ harsh calls.

Among these common pleasures, I have made several noteworthy discoveries. The first I owe to the Vice Secretary for Appropriate Avian Monikers. Her report sent me to Sibley to confirm a bird I had been wondering about for some time. It proved to be, like she said, a Common Nighthawk.

Another victory was in a bird I had seen several times while walking around the Duck Creek Trails. I hadn’t observed much about it, but still, after one walk, decided to see what I could find in Sibley. The Yellow-crowned Night-Heron looked similar. Another walk granted the opportunity for further observation, and the identification was confirmed.