Birding Brewer

Yesterday I had my chores all lined up for me. There were boards missing from a segment of the backyard fence. I galumphed out there to measure the board and when I got to it and looked up, the boards were there! In place! Obviously repaired by the neighbors on the other side - and maybe they know why the boards got knocked down in the first place? Huzzah! Suddenly the afternoon was free from the necessity of a trip to Home Depot or nailing boards. What to do now? Start in on the gardening chores? Clear out the ghastly mess that is the back bedroom? Apply myself to improvements in general?

Hell no, time to bird! I decided to head out to Placer County, Brewer Road where the birding is always interesting. The last time I was there was a month ago and I found acres of Wilson’s Snipe, Long-billed Curlew and White-faced Ibis. All of Northern California was deluged recently so I was hoping for some nice shorebirds. I was not far off – I hit the mother lode for waterfowl; Tundra Swans, Snow Geese, White-fronted Geese, a few Cackling Geese, some Northern Shoveler and Pintail Ducks.

There were thousands of waterfowl in the flooded farming fields. The area is not a wildlife refuge but the birds really don’t give a rat’s patootie for official declarations of bird-worthiness. They just want someplace to rest and puddle about, which from what I saw, they are expert at. I never noticed before that White-fronted Geese are like Mallards, in that they love to go arse-up to forage/dabble under the water.

Snow Geese trying to fly in V formation but settling for a U

Lark Sparrow

Incoming! Snow Geese. The picture only shows a tiny segment of the thousands of waterfowl lounging about.

The Brewer Road area is fun. I got my lifer Northern Shrike there a few years ago. If I had my spotting scope bet I'd have found a few Ross's Geese. Must get out there again on the weekend.

Hermit Thrush in the Hawthorn tree

I watched What the #$*! Do We Know this afternoon. Barbara recommended it. It was mind boggling and actually stopped watching for a bit so stuff could sink into my brain. The movie reasonated strongly for Barbara and she felt it was all something she'd known all along.

For me it was not that I knew that one creates one's reality all along, but more that it was something I've been slowly fighting - yes fighting.

Must think on it all, because assuming it is true, and I do, that means things must happen and things happening always freaks me out.

Western Screech Owl in Grandmother Oak

Joy of Joys! Forgot to mention, last night while saleslady was carrying on about the dirt deep in my carpet, I heard a faint calling coming in from the backyard. I asked the girl to hold the noise a bit and I went to the back door.

I heard it again! The 'string of Ohs' which is the Western Screech Owl. Hurrah! I haven't heard one the past two years. Back around 5 years ago a pair of screech owls raised babies in the apricot tree next door. The neighbor's tree was subsequently cut down, but there are other places to nest. Not to mention the screech owl nest box I shelled out for but as I am incapable of figuring out where to hang the damned thing, the next box shall continue dwelling in the bowels of my garage. Come to think on it, there are hummingbird nest doo-hickies in the garage too. Why do I buy stuff then store it away? What a horrid American-consumer I am.

Where was I? Yes, my owls are back! For one glorious summer I could go in the back yard between 9 and 9:15 each evening and watch the two adults and their like fluff-butt babies tumbling in the heritage oak next door. They were so cute. The babies sounded like monkeys and the adults had a sharp 'knock it off!' noise to talk to their babies or perhaps to chase me away, who knows which. I even got a few pictures back then.

I am so hoping the owl stays around and hope, hope, hope, attracts a mate. It would be heaven to have baby Screech Owls tumbling and squabbling in the old oak again.