On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Albatrossity
A slight digression before we get to the images.
The day after the election was a hard day. Like many of you, I was unable to sleep the night before, and unable to function much on that day. I know that self-care is important, and needed to eat, but I wasn’t hungry at all. I tried to eat a banana, it made me feel nauseated, so I left most of it for later, or whenever. Today, Thursday, after a decent dinner and a good sleep, I see that Anne Laurie headlined her post “Now we cultivate our own gardens”. That is, I believe, very sound advice.
We need to take care of ourselves, and the people and places and critters that we love. We need to keep fighting, for each other and for the planet we all share. Figuring out how we do that is for each of us to determine for ourselves, but collectively we must persist. I have tried to figure out my niche, my role, and will be fleshing that out a bit more as the days turn into weeks and months.
But I already know that what I can do is seek beauty in the world, and share it with anyone I know, virtually or otherwise. I do know that we need beauty, and we need to appreciate the natural world, more so than ever. I also know that it is therapeutic for me, personally, to be out in the world as much as possible, and to give that therapy time to heal the wounds of this most wretched year. I feel best when I am hanging out in a thicket, or sunflower patch, or on the open prairie, waiting for some bird to finally get out in the open for 5 seconds to let me get some photos. All other concerns seem to melt away at those times; it is a blessed thing.
So I think my role includes bringing a splash of beauty, a touch of joy, and sometimes a moment of wonder to your Monday mornings. OTR on Monday is my metaphorical garden. My role includes more than that as well, but right now, for this post, it is enough. Happy Monday, and please persist, for your sake, for your friends and family’s sake, and for the sake of our planet. We all need each other, now and always.
Now for some images. These are from a day in Pebble Beach/Pacific Grove CA in late September. Enjoy!
Brewer’s Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus), striding purposefully across the beach. Like a boss. Click here for larger image.
Pelagic Cormorant (Urile pelagicus), positively fabulous in the California sunshine. Who knew a cormorant could be gorgeous? Click here for larger image.
Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis), winging nonchalantly over the blue Pacific. Brought back from the brink of extinction by the banning of DDT. Click here for larger image.
Heerman’s Gull (Larus heermanni), preening and showing off the new dark feathers of its winter head plumage. Wish they all could be California Gulls? Sorry/not sorry. Click here for larger image.
Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani), on the rocks. Probably needs to head out to a local oyster bar. Click here for larger image.
Pygmy Nuthatch (Sitta pygmaea), in the moss- and lichen-encrusted Del Monte Forest. Spunky. Click here for larger image.
Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens), waiting for that nuthatch to get off the feeder. A nice change from our local Black-capped Chickadees. Click here for larger image.
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia), one of the very dark California subspecies. Diversity is good. Click here for larger image.
Nuttall’s Woodpecker (Dryobates nuttallii), hitting the suet like woodpeckers everywhere. What will it be called when Nuttall’s name is removed? Click here for larger image.
And finally, a true oddity. A hybrid sparrow, with presumed Golden-crowned (Zonotrichia atricapilla) and White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) parentage. A beauty, and a tribute to all the odd couples in the human and non-human domains. Click here for larger image.
Wanderer
Excellent pictures and essential commentary. As always, thank you Albatrossity.
p.a.
Thanks!
eclare
Great photos and message. Thank you.
Salty Sam
And we are all so fortunate that you are so very good at it!
Love the Brown Pelican, one of my favorite birds. When I was a kid, I remember the concern that they were disappearing- truly a success story in bringing them back from the brink. When we lived on the water, I could watch them diving for fish all day, and their low level soaring, wingtips just above the water, is always exhilarating.
Thanks!
Chris Johnson
I agree emphatically. And I’m really, REALLY sad to be reduced to that, but it wasn’t up to me. I feel like I had a lot of stuff figured out and it didn’t matter.
I can figure out other things that won’t get me epsteined for my trouble, and some of them (recapturing the great days of music recording when stuff had better vibe) even sound like they’re fascist-adjacent, though they’re really not. But it’s good camo, I guess. I can’t care about that part anymore, as I’d be grateful to just be killed and not see all this. I’m way not important enough for anyone to do that.
So, seeking beauty and helping people have beauty, it is. Honestly, it’s what I would do if things were GOOD, and that brings me a lot of comfort, even though I have to exhaust and burn myself out to stay connected with it. What I wanted, who I wanted to be, turns out to be available as a booby prize. ‘Here, kid, play with this while the grownups wreck the world’. Well all righty then.
I’m on bluesky but don’t post my videos on bluesky, that’s on youtube. There I post a new piece of software, ‘plug-ins’ for digital audio workstations (can work in other things like Final Cut Pro or whatever lets plugins modify audio), every week. This has always been an insanely rapid pace but I work efficiently and without rest. I also livestream there, more if I feel like it’s doing anybody else any good, less if I’m simply too burned out to cope with it anymore.
It sounds grim because often it’s hurting me, but it’s also a place of love and a respite, a way to refocus on something. And I’d be happy to see any of you there, no exceptions <3
https://www.youtube.com/user/airwindows is that internet home, and in fact I’ve got pretty good at it, so if you’re of a musical bent. I can help you find more beauty, That’s what I’m for, really. It’s my best purpose and that’s where I have to live now.
Betty
@Salty Sam: I am with you on the pelicans. I could watch them all day skimming along and diving for their fish. Not so pretty but still a wonder of Nature.
With this selection, I decided to focus on beaks and what diversity. From the lovely black curve of the blackbird to the florescent elongated beak of the oystercatcher to the huge beak of the pelican and all those in between.
Thanks, Albatrossity, for the message and your persistence in capturing and sharing this part of Nature.
Betty Cracker
Yes! Thank you for bringing it here, friend. It means a lot.
stinger
Albatrossity, you write like a boss.
Albatrossity
Great idea! The diversity of beaks is part of the joy of bird-watching, and also a good way to get a quick clue about the family group that a new bird might belong to. Beauty and education in the same wrapper!
And thanks, all, for the kind words. You are a joy to me, and I can’t thank you enough.
zhena gogolia
Thank you so much
oldster
“So I think my role includes bringing a splash of beauty, a touch of joy, and sometimes a moment of wonder to your Monday mornings.”
Yes! Thank you for doing it, and for doing it so well (as with your other roles).
SteveinPHX
Thank you for the photos AND your comments. I’ve got two new hummingbird feeders in the yard!
Winter Wren
Well said! Great images and.clever captions. Enjoyed the California gull reference
Donatellonerd
Thank you so much. and also for the california gull bad/good joke. We do need beauty. and kindness. and need to feel we’ve got something to give too. You’re my Monday morning Pollyanna glad game reference and I’m grateful for you.
Another Scott
Thanks for this. Your words and images are always thoughtful, careful, and inspiring.
I saw a few pelicans fly in formation across I-295 in DC a couple of decades ago. My boss was a bit of a birder and he didn’t believe me, but pelicans are kinda distinct[ive], ya know??
🤪
I haven’t seen any since then. ☹️
Are you doing calendars again this year? What’s the link to find them again?
Thanks for all you do. Hang in there.
Best wishes,
Scott.
Albatrossity
@Another Scott: Yeah, Pelicans in DC would be an unusual sighting. Probably just another sign of the End Times…
I will be doing calendars again this year, and need to get started on that task. Somehow I seem to be a bit behind. But thanks for the cage-rattle; I will get started later this week!
beckya57
As others have already said, thank you for the beautiful words and birds.
arrieve
Thank you. Your ability to capture birds in flight always astonishes me–I have enough trouble trying to capture birds sitting in plain sight on a tree branch. We do have to soothe ourselves with beauty where we can.
Refresh, regroup, rethink, fight on.
pieceofpeace
And you’re appreciated for all you do. You’ve opened up Monday mornings posts for us and can’t imagine a more satisfying eye-opener when beginning a new week. Thank you.
I liked your commentary today, very much.
Chat Noir
Thank you for your thoughtful words; I’m right there with you. I love your pictures and your posts. Birbs for the win!
mvr
Thank you and Happy Monday!
I really like seeing the chestnut backed Chickadee, mostly because I didn’t know they existed. And that last hybrid really is exquisite. Thanks, as always, for the birds and cheer.
Madeleine
@Betty: I’d never thought of focusing on a particular feature! Thanks. So I went back and looked at beaks, realized that I’ve been noticing them more than I realized, and appreciated the focusing. Also,I’d somehow missed the woodpecker the first time through the group! How could I do that?
Thanks Albatrossity for the photos (every week) and commentary (also every week).
Yutsano
🎶Cause I got blackbird class and I got blackbird style.🎶
StringOnAStick
Thanks for your words and the call to beauty.
hotshoe
Little question: why is there a possibility that Nuttall’s woodpecker might have Nuttall’s name removed? For what?
The wikipedia article about this species seems quite comprehensive — but doesn’t mention anything about the name except that it honors Nuttall (who was in the California territory but was not the man who identified/described the species in 1843)
As far as I know, I’ve never seen a Nuttall’s woodpecker, but their preferred habitat is the same as my own preferred habitat: arid oak woodland. I’ll try to look and listen better the next time I’m hiking up in Garland Ranch.
Albatrossity
@hotshoe: The American Ornithological Society announced that they will be, over the course of several years, renaming species that have been named after humans (eponymous bird names). More here.
The Lodger
That’s a great woodpecker. Why would Nuttall’s name be removed from it? Never mind, I just saw the previous comment. Kind of unfortunate because I think Steller’s jay is a perfectly fine name.
suilebhan
Thank you so much for these wonderful photos. This beauty you are bringing to my eyes is most appreciated at this less than beautiful time.