The Big Yard: Birdwatching in a Time of Quarantine
Or: the Evolution of a Lister
Day 26 of the Quarantine (April 8, 2020)
I’m embracing the Covid-19 distraction by focusing on the distraction of birds. If it’s possible to focus on a distraction.
I drive the half hour to Whitewater Draw, a 1500-acre wetland whose ephemeral lake famously hosts tens of thousands of wintering sandhill cranes. I have the place to myself for the entire afternoon. Perfect. My Canon 2X extender arrived in the mail, which I picked up at the Bisbee post office—people there were wearing pajama bottoms! I’ll attach to my 300mm F/4 and test it at the wildlife area.
Five white-faced ibises, a new bird for my county list, oblige me for a half hour, the dark birds with their long curl of bill probing the near shore like cutouts against the pewter water. Avoiding the areas closed to public entry, I leave the raised walking path and scramble though the cattails and willow, standing in the mud to photograph stilts with stiletto beaks and dowitchers. The latter have pond-hopped all the way from the Arctic tundra, one of the remotest parts of the planet, to visit this tiny jewel of a place in southeast Arizona.
This evening, I talk about laundry with my wife—or the lack of it since I’m behind in the chore. She blames the birdwatching. She wants clean clothes even though she’s in pandemic mode and works weekends and nights. I say no one will see her. I’ve been wearing the same clothes for weeks, though today she scooped up my muddy sweats and t-shirt when I was in the shower and replaced them with a matching set, thinking I wouldn’t notice. (I figured out long ago why she buys multiple copies of the same clothes for me.)
“People are wearing PJs to the post office,” I say. “No one cares.”
She says there was a time when people dressed for dinner.
“Well, that was the Dark Ages,” I say. “This is love in the time of corona.”
I show her my Facebook page where I just typed “Best thing about social distancing…” and posted a pic of myself wearing my gray shirt that reads: “Same Shirt. Different Day.”
“You took that picture sitting there like that?” She’s referring to my lack of proper attire.
“I’m prepping for a Zoom meeting.”
“You have decent clothes. You should wear them.”
I look at her, trying to come up with an argument, then give up. “As you wish,” I say, turning away.
I’ve said this before, but we have an understanding that makes our marriage work. I do what she says. I have two responses for her I learned from The Princess Bride (I also have three daughters, which means, yes, I’ve seen every episode of Friends).
I’m allowed: “Yes, dear” and “As you wish” ...the latter being the understood way of expressing my displeasure.
And for now, as long as the laundry is done, I’m also allowed the birdwatching.
The 2.0 teleconverter worked great! Nice close-ups.
The Plumbeous Vireo ending photo is an entire mood. I completely relate.