First Good Birdwatching Day of 2026

 

Today I had a lot of free time after Mass and recycling the plastic, since Brazilian drumming practice won't resume for a while. Travalon and I set off to go birdwatching, and I moved the Red Tasseled Hat pin to the side of my plaid tam so the tassel wouldn't hang right in front of my eyes.

We started in Cherokee Marsh, where we saw swans among the Canada geese, and when we stopped the car, we saw a pileated woodpecker. I didn't expect that in a residential area! It was right above our car and posing perfectly, with its bright red crest (just like Woody Woodpecker's) flared out, but when I pointed it out to Travalon, it flew away before he could get a photo. 

These are actually photos that Travalon took on Friday, when we went out on the dock, and I didn't have time to post them. I'll get to today's photos soon. First, some buffleheads.

This common merganser is doing a mating dance, stretching his neck up high.

Not sure what's going on here...? I can't tell what kind of duck this is that is just sticking its neck out of the water, but I'm guessing a male common merganser like the one behind it.

More common mergansers.

The male and the female.

And a hooded merganser with a Canada goose.

Here are photos from today, at Cherokee Marsh. First, common mergansers.

We saw two bald eagles in the tallest tree on the little island.

More common mergansers.

I thought I saw the pileated woodpecker again, and Travalon got a good photo, but you can clearly see that it's a flicker, which is also a large woodpecker.

Here are some photos of the swans.

This swan family seems to be following a pintail duck.

There were other types of ducks in Travalon's photos too, at least one canvasback and several goldeneyes, but those photos aren't in focus enough to post. Just saying it was quite a bird party!

After that we went to Tenney Park, and this hawk was right above us.

We just saw geese there, so we went to Picnic Point and saw this goldeneye among the Canada geese.

We didn't really see much at Mendota County Park or Governor Nelson State Park. Then we headed home and rested for a bit before I headed to the Slow Irish Session. Today a bassoonist joined us, and I love how this session welcomes all instruments, not just those that are traditional at an Irish session. The leaders told us to listen to each other and try to hear the harp, but I listened for the bassoon. The leaders said we did a great job staying together and not playing too loudly when we listened like that. Meanwhile, Travalon went to fight Bald Bull at the video arcade as he does while I'm at these sessions, but today he did not prevail against him. He said he played Asteroids too and didn't do that well, but he was in the Top Ten because so few people play it. Hmm... maybe I should play it and get into the Top Ten myself, if it's that easy. I have never been to this arcade myself, but someday I'll check it out.

The cranes always come back on the First of March around here, and sure enough, we heard them today, and then when I took a rosary walk before the Irish session, I saw one. Do they have calendars? How do they know? I also saw three swans fly overhead, but I have no idea where they were going. Not to Cherokee Marsh - they were flying west, not north. Maybe going to Picnic Point.

Famous Hat