First Bigby Flat

Poor Numenius got his first Bigby flat tire today at the Davis Wetlands. We had seen our first cliff swallows of the year; our first Bigby cattle egret; American avocets — and then he felt the tire. I stopped at a pond to scan while he pumped it up and saw a horned grebe there, definitely a nice surprise. We limped home — he stopped to pump it up twice — and ran and got a new tube while I ordered burritos for lunch.

After lunch we met up with a postdoc from Spain who just arrived last week and wanted to go out birding — on his bike. He was excited about every bird, since they’re all new; it’s a great thrill to take someone who isn’t jaded by American robins out into our fields and creek and through West Campus. My memory of Spanish names for birds is definitely rusty but lots came back: “mito,” for instance, is the Spanish name for long-tailed tit, a word I haven’t seen or heard for over 20 years…

The binoculars were hauled out once again this evening so we could see the International Space Station on its way overhead. My but it’s bright. No wonder people report flying saucers.