Any birdwatchers out there?

[Torrain]

Tangentially?

One of my sisters is a huge birder (to the point that she's looking at a career in academic ornithology), so I've been out on a good number of walks with her, where we picked locations specifically looking for rare birds.

I don't have as much patience as her, but thanks to her persistence I've wracked up some interesting finds.

We once watched a pair of golden eagles doing a courting dance in the Scottish Highlands, found a rare group of crested tits (I know, I know), which are basically tiny birds with mohawks - they're adorable, in the moorlands to the north of Perth,

We live pretty close to the coast, so we've had the chance to watch a lot of seabirds out on the water, from puffins and gannets, to cormorants and shags on a local island.

[Torrain]

In California, on a good day I can see both Titmice and Bushtits. Funny that you said both Cormorants and Shags. I figured they were all shags (also a lol-worthy name) in Europe. I’ve been meaning to go over to the coast at some point to see some more seabirds. I have done on my list from a trip I did for university, but I haven’t been in a while.

Apparently there are small but perceptible differences, apparently! I'd definitely recommend the coast when you get the opportunity, it's always interesting to see what you can find.

I dragged a friend of mine on an 80 mile trip on Monday so I could go to a rural cemetery because a single rare migrant (a male Vermilion Flycatcher) goes to that same spot every winter. I went on something of a scouting hike yesterday (didn’t have boots and started too late) because I had heard that there were California Thrashers in the area. Didn’t see any of them, but I did see a Hairy Woodpecker, which was a new one for me.

Haha, that sounds familiar! Every year, my sister would target a new rare bird to go searching for. We once spent two entire afternoons trekking around a remote Hebridean island looking for a chough - which to me looked like a slightly skinny crow, but was apparently of immense excitement!

As I say, these trips can can be a bit prolonged at times, but she puts up with my discussion of US elections, so we're definitely even!

[Torrain]

In California, on a good day I can see both Titmice and Bushtits. Funny that you said both Cormorants and Shags. I figured they were all shags (also a lol-worthy name) in Europe. I’ve been meaning to go over to the coast at some point to see some more seabirds. I have done on my list from a trip I did for university, but I haven’t been in a while.

Apparently there are small but perceptible differences, apparently! I'd definitely recommend the coast when you get the opportunity, it's always interesting to see what you can find.

I dragged a friend of mine on an 80 mile trip on Monday so I could go to a rural cemetery because a single rare migrant (a male Vermilion Flycatcher) goes to that same spot every winter. I went on something of a scouting hike yesterday (didn’t have boots and started too late) because I had heard that there were California Thrashers in the area. Didn’t see any of them, but I did see a Hairy Woodpecker, which was a new one for me.

Haha, that sounds familiar! Every year, my sister would target a new rare bird to go searching for. We once spent two entire afternoons trekking around a remote Hebridean island looking for a chough - which to me looked like a slightly skinny crow, but was apparently of immense excitement!

As I say, these trips can can be a bit prolonged at times, but she puts up with my discussion of US elections, so we're definitely even!

I guess you could say she was... chuffed. Their bills look a lot more delicate than a crow’s.

I wouldn’t mind going on a hike in the Hebrides. All of the Scottish islands seem like cool places to go. Same with Iceland and the Faroes. Some day.

I have this week off and got to add another species (Hairy Woodpecker) yesterday, so that was nice. My life list isn’t as impressive as some of my coworkers, but I look at it as an opportunity to catch up on what’s actually going on around me. When lockdown was more strict back in April and I was working from home, I saw a new species right outside my office window!

Aye, there's nowhere quite like the Hebrides. When intercontinental travel becomes an option in the next few years, I could pass on a few recommendations if you'd like.