This birding thing has great charm. The app from ebird.org has a GPS, and when you go out to do your sightings, it asks you to identify the species on a list. Charming, I’m telling you... but complicated. This Sunday, not too early, I went to buy avocados at José’s farm. While I was there, I don’t know what came over me, I suddenly asked if I could walk around and see what birds I might come across.
He gladly agreed.
That’s because those who birdwatch also look to the sky… seeking help and answers.
It was hard to get through. There were no paths. Just dense undergrowth, but I didn’t mind. My heart was beating with purpose: I was breathing in freshness and ready to experience wonder, to discover wings and flights… life pulsing here and now.
However, it seems I had arrived at lunchtime, because the birds were very quiet. I kept looking up towards the treetops, and then I saw a squirrel eating something juicy—because it wouldn’t let go of it. Further away, in a palm tree, I spotted through my camera lens a bird that looked enormous, and my mouth was already watering at the thought that I’d just sighted a sparrow hawk… but then doubt crept in—maybe it was a woodpecker. In the blurry photo I managed to take with my camera, it looked greenish.
The farm is near the bridge, and beneath the bridge runs the river—there are always herons in the river. I saw two white herons flying. I rushed to jot down the first species sighted on my list.
You know… I couldn’t tell what that greenish, blurry thing was—unless, later on when I got home, the members of the birdwatching group, experienced and willing to help me, told me what it was that I saw. They have been telling me about the field slang used in birdwatching. For example, a “Lifer” is when you see or manage to photograph a species for the very first time. If that's the case, then I've already had two lifers when I photographed the Dameros (Lonchura punctulata) and the Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea). 😃
I also didn’t know that birdwatchers often use their telescopes attached to cameras—and that this is called digiscoping. It seems that these days we have much to learn from life… and so the days become filled with experiences and creative moments. We mustn’t stop learning new things. I was lost in thought, glancing here and there, when I spotted a hummingbird flitting around the tree where the curious squirrel had been. I readied my camera, sharpened my senses, and although I can't say whether it was the same one, the Universe gifted me the chance to photograph one of these marvellous beings perched on a tiny twig.
I looked up at the sky again and felt at peace, breathing deeply the wonder of simply being there—among winged creatures that slowly began to appear. And then, as if by magic, two red-legged thrushes flew through the trees.
If you’d seen me—so happy, my list growing… and one more photo to secure, more or less, a decent bit of proof of the hummingbird.
José has chickens, dogs, pigs, and other farm animals on his land… I came out of the dense vegetation and headed towards the more open area where his house is, and there he was—smiling. He asked if I’d managed to spot any birds, and pointed to a lively flock of sparrows that seemed to be having a meeting with the chickens, perhaps playing hide-and-seek or racing to catch the crumbs. I started feeling a bit hungry and thought I should go have lunch and come back later, around six in the evening, when the birds might be less shy. You know, they go to their parties and bars before finally settling down to sleep—haha! And then, on my way back home, another species was added to my list.
Common Ground Dove (Columbina passerina)
It was in an area where my neighbour grows vegetables and flowers.
Oh, this was the photo I liked the most out of all the ones I managed to take of it. 😇
https://ebird.org/checklist/S269371215
... to be continued
😄 I had lunch, took my nap, freed up some space on my laptop, and downloaded the photos to see if I could figure out what that greenish, blurry thing was that I’d spotted in the palm tree. In the birdwatching group they told me it was a thrush… and later on, I headed out hunting 📷 again. I was hoping to spot something like a sparrow hawk.
19:40
As soon as little Sergio and Kevin see me heading out with the camera, they go absolutely wild. They want to come along and see what I’m taking pictures of. There they were, full of excitement and noisy chatter. I told them, “Shhhhh… quiet now, we’re going to photograph birds.” And it was Sergio who pointed out this hummingbird to me.
I thanked him and also explained that I thought it had got quite late, as the light wasn’t good and everything I photographed came out backlit. I pointed to some tiny birds darting about, and shrugged. I couldn’t tell what they were. Later I found out they were Antillean Palm Swifts (Tachornis phoenicobia).
And that’s when the miracle happened… because the Universe is mental. What you think, manifests! I have no doubt about it.
On a pole right in front of my house, I saw a bird settle...it looked like a sparrow hawk… I took loads of photos, trying to figure out what it really was. I saw it had a chameleon, something it had hunted… but everything was still backlit.
It might’ve been a rat too… I wondered if that was its nest. It stayed there for a few minutes, and I kept trying and trying to get a decent photo… without success. Sergio and Kevin murmuring beside me.
Then I thought it wasn’t that big... so it might’ve been a kestrel!
And that’s exactly what it was: a kestrel! I was so happy, even though I hadn’t managed to get any clear photos. My camera doesn’t do well in poor light… but I love her, and I forgive her everything.
😄
https://ebird.org/checklist/S269370760
The sky displayed a range of colours...
What do clouds do with all that freedom? I wondered… they glide slowly across the sky, showing off their creativity, fulfilling the purpose they were made for… a tear rolled down my cheek, and I walked over to the gate of my house, where Chanel was waiting, wagging her tail with joy.
🤗
Original content by @nanixxx. All rights reserved ©, 2025. Every image I include in my posts is mine. When it’s not, I credit the source in a caption.