I’ve been fascinated by birds for my entire life.
I remember at a very young age - possible even as young as two or three years old, walking across the back yard and hearing a bird singing. I looked up and saw a bird that was the same color as the sky; pale blue. Knowing now what I could have never even begun to comprehend at that young age, was that the only bird that could have possibly been was a Mountain Bluebird.
The only other solid blue bird is the Indigo Bunting, which are found in the eastern US, and are a much darker, more vivid color. We lived on the east side of San Francisco Bay, where there are no mountains to speak of, but where Mountain Bluebirds are actually quite common.
I think my earliest memory of bird-watching per se, was probably at that same age, sitting in front of a floor to ceiling picture window in the living room and watching Brewer’s and Red-winged blackbirds, Brown-headed Cowbirds and Grackles, feeding on bugs and flower seeds in the front yard. No, at that time I did not know what they were, but I can still vividly remember what they looked like and the calls they made. The Red-wings especially were, and still are, very distinctive.
I have become passionate about bird watching, and even more passionate about bird photography, although the latter takes so much more patience and stealth. But having a few “go to” locations for finding and photographing them most certainly helps feed that passion.
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