Birding In The Twilight

Each evening I take the dog for a walk around the yard. It allows me get out of the house for a while and do a little birding. I watch the sky for birds flying to roost, and listen to the last sounds of day and first sounds of night.

Yesterday evening one of our neighbors told me she had killed a snake in her garage. I was curious to see what species it was, and she was nice enough to dig it out of the trash so I could have a look at it. Sadly the corpse was mashed and mangled beyond recognition. Looked like it had been killed more than once, just to be on the safe side. At least I was able to confirm that it wasn't venemous - probably just a harmless watersnake.

While I was talking with her a Barred Owl flew to an exposed perch across the road, where it was immediately beset by Northern Mockingbirds. The owl disappeared into the nearby trees, but sounds of the attack continued. Only other noteworthy sighting was a small flock of Yellow-crowned Night-Herons flying over at sundown.

I'll be going back to work soon, and between the demands of my job and my new responsibilities I don't think I'll be blogging (or birding, for that matter) much from now on.