Birding on International Women's Day 2019

     It's International Women's Day so doing what my female self does best (among many other things), I went Birding.
     I am so proud to be a woman working in a STEM Career field and in my work, being able to inspire and bring young women of diverse backgrounds, cultures, and more into contact with STEM career options. I am also so happy to know many women who as just being in the field of science make a huge difference for future young women, because if they can see it, they can envision themselves doing it too someday!
     Speaking of women and birding- I agreed to lead my first ever bird walk- it will be through the Feminist Bird Club in April, so be on the look out! We will be doing some cool citizen science and birding!

I visited Prospect Park today and spent the day birding. I miss being so close to this park - and now when I visit, it's a special treat!
This Dark-eyed junco was eyeing the seed selection on the ground at the feeders.

There were a lot of white-breasted nuthatches at the feeders, more than 5!

I love brown creepers!
This one was vocalizing it's little high pitched call and eyeing under each wrinkle in the bark.

Great chance to get a good brown creeper photo annnnnnnd STICK.
Stick happens.

Speaking of sticks, this was my favorite part of my whole walk. At the compost/wood chip piles...
Exploring every nook and cranny... the cute, adorable, and pocket sized winter wren.

The compost pile is decaying, therefore, warm and can contain so many tasty insects!

Winter wren are round with a little, bitty, barely a tail.
So round.

What is in here?!

What down here?!
Ah, I cannot contain myself over these little bitty birds. Everything about them makes my brain explode, from the cute to the many questions I have on how such a little thing can survive in some tough conditions!

A larger wren, a Carolina wren popped up to give the alarm when two red-tailed hawks began soaring over the area.

98% of my bird photos are pure crap. But sometimes there are crappy photos that make me happy.
Like birds exhibiting their ability to harness magic and levitate.

A modest mourning dove showing off the beautiful iridescence it has on its neck.

A Very Round Dove.

Birb proclaims:
* I AM THE HAIRY WOODPECKER! *
... as it unsheathes its longer than a downy bill from the bark.

One of those photos where you really hoped the bird would be in focus...
Also hairy woodpecker, in fact the same one as above.

An odd sight on the lake, a long-tailed duck.
This bird was having no luck flying and it's legs seemed to not be super useful.
I was worried it would become gull food, as they swooped down at it, to size it up as a potential snack. Thankfully, it was too large for the ring-billed gulls.
Not much could be done- it was far out and on ice. Thankfully I was able to get a hold of the Urban Park Rangers who told me someone went and checked on the bird to find it had made its way into the water. That's really the best thing possible for the duck. Godspeed, little duck!

A motley crew of 1 hooded merganser and 3 ring-neck ducks.

One more for the road, a ring-neck duck, off the peninsula.