Around these parts—urban and suburban areas of the Chicago south side—the bird situation is usually pretty standard. There are sparrows and pigeons. And robins, blackbirds, crows, gulls and some hawks. Sometimes you see a cardinal or a blue jay. And once or twice a year you see something odd, like an escaped canary or something else yellow or multi-colored.
This spring things have been a little odd, bird-wise.
First, starting near the end of winter, there were almost no sparrows at all around here. I’ve never seen that before.
Then, as spring got started, there were a lot of robins. I mean, a lot. People would stand in front of their house talking to neighbors about all the robins running around.
Now, lately, I’ve been seeing a whole new kind of bird running around a particularly large parking lot around here. This kind of guy or gal:
This spring things have been a little odd, bird-wise.
First, starting near the end of winter, there were almost no sparrows at all around here. I’ve never seen that before.
Then, as spring got started, there were a lot of robins. I mean, a lot. People would stand in front of their house talking to neighbors about all the robins running around.
Now, lately, I’ve been seeing a whole new kind of bird running around a particularly large parking lot around here. This kind of guy or gal:
These little guys or gals spend the whole day running around the parking lot. They fly fine and if you get too close (these photos are my little point-and-shoot camera at full telephoto with digital assist) they take off easily and dart around the sky with ease. But they land and then seem to like to run quickly around the asphalt.
And they peep. Loudly. Their peeps are so loud you’d think the peeping sound was coming from a bird twice as large.
I’ve never seen this kind of bird before. After looking around some bird guides, I guess they might be some kind of plover. To my eyes they look like a Little Ringed Plover, but those are European birds. I don’t know.
I wanted to post this because I’ve mentioned the sparrow situation before. And I’ve done a picture of the robins. This is the latest odd bird thing around here. Normally a year goes by and you don’t really think about birds at all. This is the third odd bird thing in the last few months.
Parking lot birds.
They’re pleasant enough—they don’t seem to do anything bad. They just run around and make a lot of peeping noises.
Little birds watching
the big trucks driving away,
rumbling and peeping.
I’ve never seen this kind of bird before. After looking around some bird guides, I guess they might be some kind of plover. To my eyes they look like a Little Ringed Plover, but those are European birds. I don’t know.
I wanted to post this because I’ve mentioned the sparrow situation before. And I’ve done a picture of the robins. This is the latest odd bird thing around here. Normally a year goes by and you don’t really think about birds at all. This is the third odd bird thing in the last few months.
Parking lot birds.
They’re pleasant enough—they don’t seem to do anything bad. They just run around and make a lot of peeping noises.
Little birds watching
the big trucks driving away,
rumbling and peeping.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hot Red Earth, Cold Blue Jazz
Cars Are The New Birds
No Bird Shadows On The Analemma
Quasi Una Flying Car Fantasia
Technology And Food
Everything’s Happening In Parking Lots
“Where Did The Cows Go?”
“Yet Baghdad Is”
Shanghai In The Epipelagic Layer
Extinct Entertainment And Dinosaurs
The Application Of Beyond Understanding
Quasi Una Petroleum Fantasia
Motion Beyond The Fox Point
These are killdeer.
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