"There is an unreasonable joy to be had from the observation of small birds going about their bright, oblivious business."
~Grant Hutchison
The Complete Lachlan
December 8th 2019
Stockton, California
At the end of 2019, and a little ways into 2020, there were Cedar Waxwings everywhere. Here in the San Joaquin Valley, all the way to Cull Canyon, in the East Bay and probably beyond. I absolutely loved it, because I had never seen that particular bird before, and as small birds go, they are really striking! But then Covid-19 came along, and that was that, I resigned myself to stay in my cage, it was the least I could do for the bird brained among us who not only couldn't stay home, because after all, 'merica, but couldn't put on a fucking mask. To be honest, I didn't think anymore about my birdie friends, because my time was filled with what would become the final year of Trump fret. At least as far as we know anyway. Im glossing over his second impeachment right now, but I digress. The Cedar Waxwing quickly became a favorite and I figured they would return in late December or early January. Unfortunately as we crossed into 2021, I hadn't seen a single one, so I wrote it off as perhaps low numbers, or maybe there was a heavy concentration of them in the Bay Area, and not here, shrug. I had also noticed that the European Starlings were fewer this year. These things run their course.
This year it became clear that the tiny bird to take it's place would be the Black Phoebe. I love that little bird! It's a little bigger than the Cedar Waxwings, but not as colorful. Mostly black and white with just a hint of red if the sun hits it just right. It's a cute round shape, and a pleasant chirp/cheep sound to it. It's hard as HELL to photograph because it tends to blend in with the background, and like the Cedar Waxwing, it's a really fast mover regardless of whether it's flying or scampering on the ground. But on the plus side, it hovers from time to time, which allows me to get the camera focused. It's taken me several sessions in the yard, and at the Cosumnes River preserve to get a decent photo, but happily, a couple days ago, I finally got some great shots right in my own yard! I like it when I don't have to make a special trip for a certain bird, because with my Fibromyalgia it's not always easy for me to do. Sometimes things just come together. I don't anticipate doing many more photos of the Phoebe, unless it's for practice, so here is my finished set, as far as the Black Phoebe goes.
Enjoy
I finished photographing the Black Phoebe Friday afternoon, and had the camera ready to go so I could try to get a shot of a particularly nasty Scrub Jay that's been haunting the yard, when I saw a group of tiny birds all fly into the neighbor's tree all at once. They looked mighty familiar, could it be? Cedar Waxwings? I did a couple shots without a tight zoom, so I wouldn't lose as many pixels. And there it was. It was indeed a group of them, happily flapping from branch to branch. tweeting, "Hi Miss Lady!" I couldn't really get a good shot, but that's cool, it still counts, and I am looking forward to the chase. It will happen! I will get a good shot, it will just take practice, like I did with the Phoebe. And letting go of Trump fret!
Nasty California Scrub Jay
Stay Tuned
~Carly
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