The Birds

When I was eight and living in Brigham City, Utah, mom and dad came home one afternoon talking about the birds. I have always loved birds, and all animals actually, but what they were saying about the birds really had me upset. I couldn’t picture birds attacking people, killing them, and eating them. That’s not like any birds I’ve ever seen. Eventually I found out that they were talking about a movie.

Ah, movies. A couple of friends and I used to sneak into the local movie theater to watch movies free since we couldn’t afford the 25¢ ticket.

Ever since then, whenever I’m in the midst of billions and billions of birds, I think of Alfred Hitchcock and “The Birds.”

So when I was at Chollas Lake Park the other day feeding the birds, yep, flashbacks.

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San Diego shorebird diversity

 

After completing my home inspection report this morning, I went out to the shoreline to see what birds were waking up with the dawn. Following is what I found.

California gulls fighting for food

 

Brown pelican off to chase the fishing boats

 

Gull diving for breakfast

 

Geese waiting for SeaWorld to open

 

Great egret fishing for breakfast

 

Great blue heron scouring the docks for leftover fish

 

Black-crowned night heron wondering where the night’s going 

 

Close-up of the black-crowned night heron

 

Juvenile black-crowned night heron practicing flying
(one of the parents is in the two pictures above)

 

Red-shouldered hawk (?) on a light pole 

 

Osprey watching over his territory

 

Nesting osprey (young in nest at far right)

 

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New duck species……….?

This post is dedicated to Jack Gilleland, a home inspector and owner of Home Inspection and Investor Services in Clayton, Ohio. I have known Jack for about five years through the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors. I highly recommend him for anyone need home inspection services in Clayton or the Dayton metro area. If you’re a returning veteran, call him for his veteran special.

Dedications are my way of trying to provide a little extra Google juice for people I have come to know and respect over the years.

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Some of us hope to leave a name in the world when we leave and move on. Some do it simply by leaving progeny. Those of us with no progeny have to find a different way to do it…..

….like maybe discovering a new species of animal or plant.

I think I did! I can’t find the following bird in any of the books in my wildlife library:

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I have named him a cotton-top duck. He was hanging out with the mallards, American coots, Canada geese, and what I think are snow geese, so who knows what he is? Until I get the DNA profile back from the Department of Homeland Security, I’ve placed him with the bufflehead duck since it’s the only duck I can find with a description “large puffy head.” So his scientific name is tentatively Bucephala cotton topus russelii.

Cotton-top was swimming around at Lake Murray where I often go to take a walk, feed the birds and squirrels, and take pictures:

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He’s my duck, so don’t try to abscond with him. However, if you know what he really is, let me know. That way I can cancel the DNA profile with DHS……. they are expensive! lol

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