Summer Pleasures on Sabbatical

Great blue heron being great, Montlake Fill

Here's how my birderbrain works: it's the end of December which means it's practically January which means it's practically spring which means spring migration is nigh which means I'll be spending 12 hours a day tromping through fields and grasses and forests and deserts and mosquitoes, over rattlesnakes and brambles, etc., laden with camera, lenses, binocs, water, field guide, snack bars, etc. And despite these physical impositions, I'll be blissed out and high. (Am I the only birder in the world to embark upon a fitness program to enhance my staying power in the field?)

Female common yellowthroat near nest, Montlake Fill

In other words, I am already lusting and salivating at the prospect of weekends spent birding and shooting. Realistically, it's a few months away, but it seems practically touchable right now.

Anyways, here is a small glimpse of spring/summer pleasures to tide us through the next few months of damp greyness.

Savannah sparrow rockin' out, Montlake Fill

Bewick's wren rockin' out, UW campus