January 2022
January 2 Went on a bird walk with the Brookline Bird Club at the Arboretum this morning. Around 30 birders, looking a lot more carefully than I usually do, we found a couple of less common birds for this area: a red-breasted nuthatch and a golden-crowned kinglet . Both tiny birds: the nuthatch weighs about 1/3 of an ounce (10g) and the kinglet, a little less than 1/4 ounce (6 grams). I like to think of bird weights in comparison to the tablespoon markings on a 4 ounce stick of butter: the kinglet weighs the same as half a tablespoon of butter. But, even at its small size, it is not to be underestimated: this little bundle of energy migrates from its breeding grounds in northern latitudes, from British Columbia to Quebec, to winter as far south as northern Mexico. The other highlight: four red-tailed hawks . A juvenile near the entrance to the Arb, flying across the road where we stood to perch in a tree, then flying back over the ...