A School Week In Bird Pictures

Female Mallard (left) and adult male Mallard (right) on Friday, April 4, 2014.

Most days, I bring my camera to work with me. This practice is not necessarily because I intend to take pictures, but primarily because I hope an opportunity to do so will reveal itself. The opportunity to snap pictures of birds the school courtyard outside my classroom window frequently occurs while I'm teaching. As I'm circulating around the room or lecturing I'll catch a shadow flit across the corner of my peripheral vision. It's either during a break in classroom discussion of during the five minute transition time between class periods, that the camera comes out.

Adult female Mallard basking in the sun in Thursday, April 2, 2014.

This is when (if I'm not in the middle of a thought or discussion), I'll retrieve my camera the drawer of my desk (where it;'s secured during the day). If I'm really lucky the window will be open so that I can just nudge it slightly to allow for greater visibility. Due to cold weather hanging on, it has been much more likely to be closed. Opening the window from a latched position is apt to create just enough of a squeak that any birds within the general vicinity will scatter. At that point I'll sit by the open window grading papers during lunch in hopes of catching them when (and if) they return.

Sparrow in tree on Wednesday, March 30, 2014.

Sparrow in shrub on Tuesday, March 30, 2014.

Adult Blue Jay chilling on Monday, March 30, 2014.

Though all are fairly ubiquitous species, it is relaxing to see so many birds frequenting the school courtyard in the weeks before the doors to it are unlocked. At that time the area becomes a thoroughfare between parallel hallways, and though I have yet to see anyone "bother" the birds, they are less inclined to linger in the grass or low tree branches with the increased human activity. Which of course does not mean that a good shot or two won't reveal itself during a class reading of The Scarlet Letter...