Bird Nerds
It's not exactly a new ritual but we're much more diligent about it. We are not unfamiliar with the practice of waking up early to go for a hike a Mud Lake. For years, especially since the outbreak of COVID-19, we would hit this spot to see all sorts of wildlife and to casually capture any birds we could spy. We weren't looking for any particular species: we would only stop and shoot whatever caught our eye as we walked. And because of our nonchalant approach, we would only capture chickadees, red-wing blackbirds, and the occasional nuthatch, cardinal, or downy woodpecker. Every once and awhile, we'd luck out and run into a bona-fide birder, who would point out something out of the ordinary. A cooper's hawk or a black-crowned night heron. And, of course, there was always the Canada geese, mallards, and wood ducks in the lake. We started paying more attention to the birds when we were in our kayaks, as we'd be off the beaten trail and away from most other pe...
