Some Me Time

     I enjoy birding with my daughter, and lately I've been experimenting with her doing a bit more walking. It is very challenging to bird with a toddler who doesn't know any better and keeping my eyes on two birds at once is tough. So, it's fun to get out in nature with her, but my eyes are not 100% on birds. So, I do enjoy the chance to also get out on my own.

    I had the opportunity this weekend and took some time to walk and bird Green-Wood Cemetery and it was a lovely morning out. Trips on my own allow me to move as slow as I want, over whatever kind of terrain I want, and just give all my senses to the world around me. Do I feel a little tiny bit of guilt when I see some cool birds that I know she'd likely enjoy? Yeah, I do, a little bit.... but we'll keep spending lots of time outside in nature and we'll at the very least come to appreciate all it has to offer. But also, birding and being outside restores me, helps clear and re-focus my brain. Plus, after a week of working from home with a toddler, a little me time goes a long way for my sanity.

I arrived at the Crescent Water to find the crab apple trees had all kind of little goodies foraging within them or hunting from their outer branches. This red-eyed vireo was foraging down low, close to the water.

It's eyes were more brown than red, so this bird is likely a bit younger. The adults have much more red eyes.

There were plenty of Eastern Phoebe to go around. The temperatures were quite warm in the sun, which I'm sure this bird and other insect hawkers appreciated.

There were also a decent number of migrating fall warblers. And a lot of them look quite similar, so I was trying hard to figure this one out...

Then it threw me a bone, some bay blush on its flanks means this is a fall bay-breasted warbler! I also am able to rule out blackpoll warbler (that I also saw) because it didn't have pink feet.

This was a nice year bird.... a gray-cheeked thrush! And my gosh, look at those extra long legs and toes!

A very picturesque juvenile chipping sparrow giving the ol' over the shoulder.