Mindful Birding Missive: 14 July 2026
Dear Bird Friends,
 
Three people met at the library under clear blue skies. Our youngest birder was the keen-eyed spotter, first of White-crowned Sparrow foraging beneath the apple trees, then American Robin, sunbathing next to a rhododendron. More robins feasted on ripening blackberries. Song Sparrow made a brief appearance by the fence. 
 
From the fire station driveway, we spotted the white head of a Bald Eagle perched in a tree along Weeks Point Way. In a pine below the fire station, a scruffy (molting) Chestnut-backed Chickadee flitted from limb to limb picking insects off the needles. Barn Swallows darted low past the condos. American Crows flew over the meadow. 
 
In Weeks Wetland, we were surprised to see a Swainson's Thrush (robin's cousin) in a dead tree, and later, on the path in front of us. These beautiful songsters are more often heard then seen, preferring dense cover. We also heard the "yank-yank-yank" or "backup beep" call of Red-breasted Nuthatch, but never saw them. Savannah Sparrows perched on old fenceposts. Turkey Vulture flap/soared overhead. On a lawn, an adult (very dark-colored, almost black) and a juvenile (paler brown) European Starling hunted for grubs. 
 
As we turned round to walk back about 45 minutes later, we noticed that the Bald Eagle was still perched on the same tree, a mighty presence on our most pleasant morning.
 
The next walks will be on Thursday July 16, Tuesday August 4 & Thursday August 20. Outings are limited to 6 people for a quality experience, so please sign up early at the library or by emailing Beth@LopezLibrary.org
 
With gratitude and wonder,
Beth

Recommended Resources
Cornell Lab's All About Birds

An amazing free resource from Cornell University. A field guide online plus articles, Live Cams, Courses, and more. Look up each bird we saw to see multiple photos of each species, including male/female/immature, perched/flying images, as well as food, nesting, behavior, and conservation information.

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America
by Jon L. Dunn

National Geographic's iconic, best-selling guide for birders and birding enthusiasts of all levels includes unique subspecies maps never before seen in a field guide; extensive migration information overlaid on species maps; field-mark labels on all artwork; text updates with new species; reorganization reflecting taxonomic changes in the bird community; organization, readability, and increased page count.
Peterson field guide to birds of western North America / : Includes Birds of Hawaii
by Roger Tory Peterson

"A new edition of the best-selling field guide, with 25 all-new plates covering the birds of Hawaii"
The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America
by David Allen Sibley

Now completely revised and updated, the authoritative guide to over 700 birds of the American West from renowned birder, illustrator, and New York Times bestselling author David Sibley Compact and comprehensive, this guide features 715 bird species, plus regional populations, found west of the Rocky Mountains. Entries include stunningly accurate illustrations--more than 5,046 in total--with descriptive captions pointing out the most important field marks. Each entry also includes the most current information concerning frequency, nesting, behavior, food and feeding, voice description, and key identification features. This improved edition includes: - Updated habitat, description, behavior, and conservation text for each species account and all family pages.- New and revised illustrations of species and regional forms.- New design featuring species accounts in columns, allowing for better comparison and more illustrations and text.- Current taxonomic order and up-to-date common names.- All maps revised to reflect the most current range information.- More species and rarities included. The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America contains more than 652 updated maps drawn from information contributed by 110 regional experts across the continent, and shows winter, summer, year-round, migration, and rare ranges.