Looking and Seeing

Last year I learned of the Pheasant Branch Conservancy. It's close to my office so it's a convenient place to stop and bird or hike or just hang out before or after work or over lunch. I especially enjoy taking my lunch to one of a couple of areas overlooking the prairies and listening to the sparrows and other birds while I eat. It's a great way to forget for a time what I have to deal with back at the salt mines. Right now the Chipping Sparrows (Spizella passerina) seem particularly "present" at one of these spots. They're one of my favorite birds, proving that a close-up look at what we often mistake for "little brown jobs" reveals they are really quite pretty.

I was going to continue this post with some observations of the highly degraded condition of parts of this conservancy, but I just don't feel like dwelling on the negatives right now. Instead I'll let that simmer in the background and share a couple more images of wonderful birds that briefly visit on their way through to their breeding grounds at this time of year.