Parting Shots at Winter

Spring is official. It has been unofficially arriving over the last few weeks--and, arguably, the last few months. The Northern Rough-winged Swallows I saw in California in late December were likely northbound migrants. And here in Cincinnati, the maple sap has been running since the middle of January. But, now that spring is undeniably here with peenting woodcocks, blooming wildflowers, and nesting woodpeckers, it is a good time to reflect on winter. I will do so with photos.

The toadtree (aka, Hackberry)

The White Tree of Gondor

This is what I look like when I wake up in the morning.

Amphibian Distractions

In order to irk any readers that may still exist, I will prolong the absence of birds in favor of frogs. My apologies--but amphibians are fascinating enough to merit attention, even if that means skimping on the birds. This sprite is a Spring Peeper. 

Ubiquitous, but sufficiently tiny and cryptically colored to avoid detection, Spring Peepers are always a treat to find. Their piercing cries echo from every corner of the preserve in the spring, but this is only the third or fourth I've actually laid eyes on this season. Finding this guy was a random stroke of fortune--I was kneeling on the forest floor of the preserve, dutifully yanking up garlic mustard plants (all a day in the office), when the peeper, startled, sprang from underneath the canopy of garlic mustard I was tussling with.

Finally, to satiate those who fail to appreciate amphibians, here is a shot of one of the most common birds in the woods at this moment, a Yellow-rumped Warbler. Though my life is dominated by papers and final projects at this point, it seems that nearly every day I see another first of the season--a Palm Warbler, then a Warbling Vireo, then a Spotted Sandpiper. May approaches, and the migrants are pouring northward!

June Gloom

Most Orange County residents associate the phrase "June Gloom" with the heavy marine layer that blankets the sky many days early in the summer. The marine layer usually burns off by the late morning, but occasionally lasts all day. Recently, however, we've had more heavy-duty clouds roll in. Genuine rain clouds! Even as I type this, I can hear the soothing patter of rain on the roof above my head and the occasional distant rumble of thunder.

The birder's summer does not last long. For a few weeks between the departure of the last spring migrating warbler and the first fall migrant dowitcher, birding can be rather dull - hence the term "June Gloom". Sure, locally breeding birds are fun to watch, but the excitement of migration just isn't there. Many birders are not aware that migrants are almost always around. In southern California, migrating swallows and hummingbirds begin to show up in early January. Spring migration tapers off in late May, but the first migrant shorebirds of the "fall" often show up before summer even officially starts!

On Wednesday, I pedaled over to Peters Canyon Regional Park and birded for a couple hours before school. Maybe I'll find a some late migrants. A Willow Flycatcher would be nice! I thought as I pulled into the park. No luck. I saw exactly two migrants the whole morning - singles of Warbling Vireo and Swainson's Thrush. The willows were shedding their fuzz in such excessive quantities that safety glasses and a mask were almost required to survive. That's serious fluff.


Birding is never boring. I was right with this thought. The summer residents were out in great numbers. Several flavors of swallows were swirling about gleefully snapping up the plentiful insects. I managed to spot one Greater Roadrunner perched up on a fence post, but it was too distant for a photo. California Towhees (aka Plain-brown Shufflers) were plentiful, as always.


Discordant squawking alerted me to the presence of several Red-crowned Parrots in some trees in a backyard backing up against the park. Even though they are gaudily splashed with bright green and red, these birds are difficult to spot against the foliage. Oftentimes, I only spot them when they noisy burst out of the treetops.


I'm looking forward to fall migration! In the meantime, I need to work on my Bigby list a bit more; my total is perched at one ninety-nine. My latest addition was an Olive-sided Flycatcher last week. I think a long ride is in order...