I spent some time watching a bird in our backyard just now. We have many pretty birds, including
blue jays and
cardinals, among others (they appear amazingly beautiful if you grew up where I did - virtually none of our birds had any color). Anyhow, I saw a bird I hadn't seen before (though I suppose I really should have): a
Gila Woodpecker. They have a beautiful red cap, and this one (a male) had a deep black chest (OK, maybe all the males do). Trying to find out what it was, I ran across the
Birds of Oklahoma web site. They have photographs of lots of native birds, making it easier to identify them if you're ignorant like me. Used to be, you'd have to buy a book for this, and now it's just "out there on the Internet." It's a great time to be alive.
Oh, yeah, I better be careful about doing too much birding. If I watch them too often, I'll want
this.
