On Tuesday, because the weather was so fine, J and I went birdwatching at Lake Norman State Park, which was about a 10 minute drive away. Matt just came back from Argentina and wanted to come along, so we picked him up and went on our way. It was a beautiful day to hike around. But at the same time, I think i see more birds in my backyard than in the park. Moreover, the birds were always startled by our footsteps and rustling leaves that they would fly away before I could even look into my binoculars. All in all, I'd seen birds that I would normally see in my yard, and didn't see any species (that were new to me) reportedly seen around the area. On our drive home, though, we'd seen a red-tailed hawk, so that made up for it.
New birds spotted in the backyard!!!
Common Grackle
I love the graduated colours of this blackbird. Calling it a blackbird is a disgraceful misnomer. At a glance it appears to be all black, but in the sunlight, you can see at least 3 different colours from head to toe. This is what I call iridescence. A purple sheen on its head, graduated to a glossy black, and a greenish blue tint on its tail. If this is not beauty, i don't know what is.
Northern Mockingbird
I've only viewed this bird from afar and from indoors. So i haven't heard the beautiful songs it is reputed to sing. It is said that the mockingbird sings more than 150 distinct songs types. Cool right?
Images via
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
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