Coldest

January 8, 2024

At least I hope this is the coldest it will get down here. It froze last night and will again tonight from all indications, but after this we’re at the start of a too-slow warming trend that should bring us back up to 70 degree days in another week. We’re both ready.

It’s sunny but still just in the high thirties by 10, and with warmer days ahead and friends arriving I decide it’s the right time to go shopping and finally get some new socks to replace the ones that were lost or stolen. I’ve got just enough pride and self respect that I’d at least like my socks to match when we go out for dinner with friends.

Afterwards, as long I’m in the car anyway I stop by Sweetwater on the way home for another pass through. I’m realizing that one of the things about birding is that persistence pays off. I’m tending to see around 30-35 birds each time I go here, but so far at least they’re never quite the same set from one day to the next. There are about twenty that I can almost guarantee I’ll see because they’re common and easy to spot - but beyond that some luck is involved to come home with something new.

Weather conditions are chilly but fair, but I think I’m not quite out here at the best time once again - yesterday I was too early, and today I’m maybe too late. The parking lot was nearly full when I arrived but was largely empty when I left ninety minutes later, so maybe I’ll aim to get out here around ten next time.

I’ve seen my thirty birds for the morning but haven’t found anything new by the time I’m heading back to the car. Then there’s a sudden splash and commotion beneath my feet as I’m on the bridge crossing a small creek, and then a good sized hawk flies up about ten feet in front of me and alights in a nearby tree. It’s that same immature Cooper’s hawk I’ve seen out here a few times now.

But that’s not new. What is new for the year is the ladder-backed woodpecker hammering away at a mesquite trunk that I hear and then see soon after. I’m really pleased by this one, because I’ve only seen one once or twice before and around Tucson is my only chance for the year because they’re not found further north.

As I walk back to the car I’m wondering if it’s warm enough and there’s still enough day left for me to get out for a short ride when I get home. Before I get back in the car though I have a last look at the nearby bird feeders wondering if anything new will show up at the last minute. It’s active enough with doves, towhees, sparrows and goldfinches all hopping and flapping around; but nothing new. It’s long enough to be standing still in one place with the wind in my face though that by the time I tear away I’m quite chilled and the idea of hopping on the bike later sounds pretty unappealing. It will be warming up soon enough. I can wait.

So, 35 birds today, including one new one. Worth the trip out, and worth culling through the photos for any I particularly like. I find a few, including a largish turtle I’m sure Bill will be happy to name for me.

Snowy egret, nicely framed and ruffed up from the wind.

So what is this hanging from this palm tree? At first I thought it was a wasp nest, but there were fifteen or twenty others so it must be part of the tree.

I’m nearing the end of the roll when I find a photo that would totally floor me if I weren’t already sitting on the floor by the heater trying to warm up again. It’s a northern parula, a small warbler that I knew was out here from other reports I’ve seen but that I never really expected to see myself. It’s another lifetime first, and a particular gift because I had no idea I’d seen one today. At the time I was just trying to focus on some small bird up in the trees before it disappeared. Stand still, dammit! Really, I thought this was just a nice portrait of a mesquite branch until I zoomed in.

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	7
Comment on this entry	Comment	0