You've got to get obsessed and stay obsessed

According to the eBird newsletter, July is the least active birdwatching month. This makes sense to me from a North American perspective, since spring migration is over and fall migration hasn't started yet, and a lot of species are less active/visible/audible as their breeding activity is winding down. Not to mention in a lot of places it's very hot and people may be less excited about going outside. Vermont summers aren't too hot but we do get a lot of thunderstorms. I've been getting out there when I can, but I haven't added any new species to my year list since my last update.

What I have been seeing a lot of are the babies in our yard.



This little boy is a juvenile Hairy Woodpecker, with red on the top of his head. When he gets his adult plumage the red will only appear on the back of his head. He has a sister, but I can't really distinguish her from their mom anymore now that she's more independent and doesn't follow the parents around begging for food. We've also had a juvenile male Downy Woodpecker who looks the same but smaller.

A Tufted Titmouse pair have also fledged at least two young in our yard. The babies really make a racket! The Black-capped Chickadees have fledglings too and have been very active shuttling food to them from the feeders. I've also seen a very put-upon adult Blue Jay with two screamy juveniles. They don't have fully formed crests yet and they're kind of grayish on the back, but you don't really need the plumage to tell that they're kids; they follow their parent around with mouths wide open, demanding to be fed!

After about a month of daily sightings, our juvenile Northern Cardinal seems to have moved on. I did see it a couple of times in a tree a bit further away from the feeders where the parents hang out, so I'm guessing it's left to find its own territory. They grow up so fast!

Something random that amused me: eBird now allows you to attach non-bird photos to your reports—other animals you saw, scenery, habitat, and so on. I was uploading some pictures, and noticed one was not publicly displayed because it was "flagged as containing people." It was this one.

After some downtime due to scheduling conflicts, book club is back in the saddle. This is part 4 of my notes on This All Come Back Now. [Part 1, part 2, part 3.]


"The Centre" by Alison Whittaker (2018)

( An indigenous journalist investigates a project for Aboriginal people to digitize and upload their consciousness into a virtual world. )


"An Invitation" by Timmah Ball (2022)

( A disaffected academic observes buildings mysteriously disappearing and is vaguely happy about it. )


"Nimeybirra" by Laniyuk (2022)

( A series of letters to and from an ancestor describe a speculative future where indigenous people regain control over their lands. )


"Water" by Ellen van Neerven (2014)

( A cultural liaison to a group of humanoid plantpeople develops a relationship with one of them. )