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When we were invited to my brother’s wedding in Atlanta, Braden and I immediately began wondering which birds we might encounter in the “Dogwood City” in mid-January. Our first morning there, we determined to find out by taking a loop around Piedmont Park in the company of our good friend—and famous “Hidden Figures” movie extra—Erica Brown. Almost immediately, the birds came out to meet us!
Making a loop to the north from the parking lot, we soon found common hoped-for Northern Cardinals, Blue Jays, and Carolina Chickadees, but then surprised a gorgeous Red-shouldered Hawk lurking along the stream bed. The birds only got better from there.
Continuing north, we picked up Tufted Titmouse, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Carolina Wrens, Eastern Phoebes, and to my delight, a Golden-crowned Kinglet, which I was especially glad to see because my crummy hearing doesn’t allow me to find these by sound. Looping back on the far side of the park, I began wondering where the woodpeckers might be when I spotted a small candidate in a tree. “There’s a Downy,” I pointed to Braden. “I see it,” he said, “but that’s not a Downy. It’s a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker!” “Huh?” Turns out, we’d been looking at different birds!
Our real jackpot turned out to be a large, muddy puddle next to some dead grasses. There, we picked up Swamp, Chipping, Song, and White-throated Sparrows, Eastern Towhees, and my favorite, a pair of Brown Thrashers. All told, we bagged 28 species, far exceeding our wintry expectations. Better yet, Braden scored three Lifers: Eastern Towhee, Swamp Sparrow, and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker!
As a bonus, that night, we got to visit with the wonderful folks of Atlanta Audubon at my book signing with A Cappella Books, held at Brickworks Gallery. What a fun group! The welcoming people—and welcoming birds—left only one burning question: what could “Hot’lanta” possibly be like during spring migration? One day, we hope to find out!
Next Post: another urban birding report from my upcoming trip to San Antonio for the TCTELA Conference.
Thank you for the shout out! We enjoyed hosting your book talk. We hope to host you again next time you are in Atlanta! Take care and happy birding,
Laura Adams,
Brickworks Gallery
Thanks so much, Laura. What a terrific gallery you have. Just the perfect setting for, well, almost anything! Until next time!
Hawk in an urban park?! Eeeeexcellent! What a great outing. Bird on, dudes.
I’m so happy that you and Braden were looking at different birds. It would have been really, truly embarrassing if you misidentified a Yellow Bellied Sapsucker as a Downey Woodpecker. I might have not laughed if that what actually happened. Sadness may have overtaken me and tilted my head towards the ground as I felt the same shame that I would have imagined you feeling. But all I feel is relief and the freedom of laughter knowing you two were only looking at different birds. God knows what emotional challenge it would have been for Braden.
Fully enjoyed your book, Warblers and Woodpeckers. I understand the warblers but I just don’t understand why you get so jittery about woodpeckers. Then again, I used to raise my voice when I admired the brown coat of the Marbled Godwit (nothing brown is more beautiful and I’m not exaggerating). And I became all bushy tailed when I watched avocets sweeping their upturned bills across the water hunting for critters to eat. Your book made me admonish myself for not staying an active birdwatcher. You should keep tally of the people who return to or reinvigorate their hobby or initiate a new birdwatcher. Maybe you and Braden can have a competition over who can initiate the most birdwatchers or most-interesting initiate – then write about it on this blog.
And one final comment about your book to the readers: As my Dad would say with a sparkle in his eye to his students after he told them they had to read his book for his history class, “Makes a wonderful gift for friend and family.”
Dear Scott, Thank you for the thoughtful reply. I am glad you enjoyed the book and are enjoying the blog. Since it’s clear that your memory is not what it used to be, however, I would like to point out a couple of things. First of all, it’s funny you mentioned Marbled Godwit because YOU showed me my first-ever Marbled Godwit! In fact, you are the first person who taught me to really look at shorebirds, and I clearly remember godwits, Sanderlings, and Willets you showed me. So thank you for that, dear friend.
Now as far as woodpeckers go, YOU also showed me my first Northern Flicker! So if you feel befuddled over my love of woodpeckers, I would suggest that you also have that passion—and that it just needs to be rekindled, perhaps by birding with Braden and me. The invitation is open and shall remain so. My guess is that you could quickly become a better birder than I will ever be!
Signed,
The Management
You must know that I actually thought of birding with you guys when I was writing that. Happy you remembered the shorebirds and especially the Godwit. And Flickers are the individuals of the woodpeckers. You know what they say “We’re not like every other woodpecker.” (Then they look around for your average woodpecker, who can get a bit aggressive.) “We’re styling.”
I’ll be retiring soon. Can’t take the illogic must longer. Maybe make my way up there Northwards with a trailer and a couple of kayaks and binocs.
Do it! Do it!