Part of an occasional series of articles about Sunnyside by SNA members.

Tweeting around Sunnyside

By Estelle Smith

I would not describe myself as much of bird person, bird watcher, or, if you’re cool, a birder. Sure, I enjoy watching and listening to the birds chirp and sing, watching them dive and soar, and even take the occasional dust bath–but a birder, me? Not so much.

Beginning in Spring 2020, the shelter-in-place order has meant that I am, along with many of my fellow Sunnysiders, spending more time outside walking around the neighborhood. I started to notice little critters flickering and crawling on blooming plants and bushes at the Balboa Reservoir and along the city streets.

Then there are the birds. I don’t know if they discovered me or vice versa, but they seem to be everywhere, letting me know that they are loud and proud of being part of our neighborhood.

The chirps start around 4:30 am with the dignified robin providing a predawn melody. I think of it as a subtle, or not-so-subtle way to break my slumber. The foggy mornings, light breezes, the smell of jasmine and melodic cooing of the mourning dove bring a since of calm and tranquility, as I set out on my Sunnyside morning adventure.

Starting my morning walk with my dog, we notice crows flying over, pecking tasty treats in the middle of the street and cawing, because, well, what else is there to do when you’re a crow?

Every once in a while, I stumble upon a bird battle: Crows versus a Red-Tailed Hawk. With the absence of sports event, this suffices as contact-sport entertainment for now. Usually the hawk will give a couple of screeches, spread its wings and ascend, leaving the crows for another day of battle.

Walking the streets, I note all types of birds, and take pictures of them, so I can research them when I get back home. There are songbirds, goldfinches, warblers, sparrows, stellar’s jay, ring-necked doves, and yes, the debatable rock pigeon.

On a recent run to Glen Canyon Park, I heard a woodpecker making its signature tap-tap on a tree. Try as I may, I couldn’t see it. I thought, maybe it’s time for binoculars like a real birder. There was the owl who recently hatched its owlets, which could be seen on the eastern ridge of the park. I now find myself stopping to chat with legitimate birders, or the excited twitcher who just spotted a bird on their bucket list.

My prize find occurred a few weeks ago, as my dog Beau and I were running through the canyon. Beau was keenly and intently focused on something up on the ridge. He began to dart up the hill. I was hoping it wasn’t a coyote, knowing this was not how I had intended to spend my Saturday morning. To the surprise of a few folks standing there watching with curiosity, there was a lone wild turkey peering stoically at us from its lair. By the time my dog reached it, it decided to fly off to quieter domains. A longtime resident of the area said she had never seen a turkey in the canyon.

As dusk settles on our neighborhood, the cool winds from the west bring the fog back, to tuck us in and close out another day of sheltering in place. There may never be another time in our lives when we spend so much time outside near our homes, with our families, with extra time on our hands. We should not think of sheltering in place as wasted idleness, but time and space to explore. Getting to know our families, picking up hobbies, organizing our spaces, and maybe, just maybe, discovering that we all have a naturalist inside of ourselves, might I even dare to say, a birder.

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Estelle Smith is a Sunnyside resident and longtime member of SNA, who served as Secretary from 2012-2016, and was the original creator of SNA’s website.