Beautiful Stranger

My favorite photo of our visiting Hooded Oriole

Our yard hosts many lovely birds each year and we are especially lucky that a group of Baltimore Orioles comes back to us every winter. They start appearing sometime around October and leave in March or April. They are uncommon in Athens, Georgia, so when I report them on the citizen science reporting app, eBird, they get marked as rare or unusual and a report goes out to birders who might be interested in seeing them. This winter was no exception. When they arrive in the fall, I place several dishes of cheap grape jelly in feeders around the yard because they are fruit eaters and they love the sugar. So it was not unusual for me to look out of the kitchen window on January 1 and see a pretty orange and black bird gobbling jelly. Just another oriole, I thought. But something was off. This bird did not look like the typical orioles we see in Georgia. The adult male Baltimore Orioles are almost neon orange with a black head and back. The females and young are lighter orange with brownish orange heads, or in the case of the young males, splotchy black heads as they mature. This bird was a lighter shade of orange, with an orange head, a black chin and face, and a black tail. My heart started to pound. This was something special! I am not an expert birder. I like to watch them and know how to identify a lot of birds, but I'm hesitant to report that I've seen something rare because I'm often wrong. I'm a person who is prone to hear hoofbeats and think zebras. I pulled out my field guides and used the ID feature on my iPhone and all signs pointed to a Hooded Oriole! I was so excited that I was starting to hyperventilate. But then I looked at the range map and saw that they are not seen in Georgia. They are west coast birds, ranging from California to Mexico, Southern Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Red flag. I was very unsure. So, I decided to post a photo of it on Facebook saying, I think I have a Hooded Oriole in my yard and waited for my experienced birder friends to kindly talk me down. Minutes later, the thumbs up appeared, and several trusted people validated my report! So exciting! But that was just the beginning of the monthlong saga that caused my yard to be named "Stakeout Hooded Oriole" to the birding world.

First blurry shot with my phone

You can see the oriole was far out of his normal range

Later that afternoon I received a call from my friend Richard, who is an expert birder and has, himself, reported rare birds in his beautiful native yard habitat. He was calling to walk me through what happens when you report a very rare bird on eBird. A rare report triggers emails to people who are interested in seeing rarities in their own city, state, region or nationally. Richard had actually hosted a Hooded Oriole in his yard during the winter of 2025 and we suspected that this could be the same one. He said that when it came to his yard it was only the 2nd sighting of a Hooded Oriole in Georgia, making ours the 3rd. Pretty cool. When the bird was in Richard's yard, he stuck around for several months and made himself viewable for many, many interested people. I think Richard told me 150 or so. He told me that we were under no obligation to make the yard available to the public, but that if we did we would need to set some boundaries that worked for us, and people would need to respect them. After talking with my husband, we decided that it was a good thing to share a special birding opportunity with the public, so I reported the bird and let people know they were welcome during certain hours and with some restrictions. Hoodini, as he had been nicknamed last year, was very shy and at that point was feeding mostly in our fenced back yard. I have dogs and they need to go outside, so we needed to work around that. And our family needs to use our garage and driveway. But I figured that people would just have to deal with us if they wanted to see the big star. There were no issues.

I was relieved when he returned!

No issues, except that after I reported him, Hoodini was nowhere to be seen. I didn't see him again for a couple of days. But the day after I posted the report I looked out of my window to see a line of people across the street from my house with their binoculars and cameras trained on our yard. I think there were about 10 people, but I couldn't get a great view without going outside and disturbing them. Birders were standing in my front yard, and walking cautiously through the gates of the back yard. No one saw the Hooded Oriole that day and I felt bad like it was somehow my responsibility to give them a good show. Luckily, our Baltimore Orioles stepped up and people were pretty happy to see them as a consolation prize, since they are uncommon. One report said we had 9 of them at one time. And I should mention that we also had a couple of also uncommon Tennessee Warblers. So it wasn't a total waste of time. But still I hoped Mr. Hoodie would return.

Light colored Baltimore Oriole young male

Vivid orange adult male Baltimore Oriole

Uncommon winter visitor--Tennessee Warbler

A day or two later I looked out the kitchen window and he was back! I let Richard know and he came right over and was able to take some nice photos through the window. At least I hadn't imagined a rare bird. And the day after that Richard sat in the yard for a while and was able to get some wonderful photos of Hoodini tussling with Baltimore Orioles over the jelly dish. I was pretty jealous though. I had only gotten blurry, terrible pictures and this was my house! My problem was that he was so skittish that just moving my camera near a window scared him away. And he never stayed for long. And if I went outside it would take a long time for all the birds to calm down again after opening the doors. But I waited patiently. More visitors came. At one point someone called the UGA campus police to report suspicious looking people with binoculars. When the police were told what was going on they thought it was neat and we didn't have any more problems. I hadn't thought of notifying my neighbors, so I talked to some and wrote up a note to leave with my contact info. There were no police complaints after that.  

Finally a nice photo! Soooo pretty!

Most of my shots looked like this

As Hoodini got more comfortable in the yard, he started spending more time at the front yard feeders, which was better for visitors and gave me my best viewing spot from inside the house and I finally got some beautiful photos of him. My daughter and granddaughter were able to see him, which made me happy. The visitors who came were very appreciative and courteous. I saw some people day after day, hoping to get a peek at him. One group of young guys set up across the street with lawn chairs. People came from as far as Atlanta. One man set up his tripod in the back yard and stood in a light rain for hours, just waiting. Finally he moved to the front yard, where he met another couple of people who were hoping to see him. I went out to say hi and just then, Hoodini made his appearance! High fives all around. People offered to help me pay for jelly. Richard brought me a jar (the fancy stuff) and a nice note. It was all pretty great. We did not get a huge number of people because many had their chance to see him last year. But there were enough that it felt like an event. 

Success at last!

The Celebrity

For the next few weeks the Hooded Oriole came to our yard every day. I only saw him once or twice each day, and there's no telling if he was visiting one of the feeders that I wasn't watching at the time. I couldn't be everywhere and all at once! The other orioles were around all day, usually from about 8am to 4pm, bouncing from station to station. I have no idea where Hoodini went when he wasn't with me. No one else reported seeing him in their yard. Was he like a stray cat, visiting all the feeders in the area? Was he just hanging out in the bushes somewhere? I have no idea. 

Taking turns at the jelly with a female Baltimore Oriole

The last part of January brought unseasonably cold and wintery weather to Athens. Temperatures dipped into the teens and one weekend we had a freezing rain. I kept the jelly dishes full as well as I could, and Mr. Hooded Oriole came to feed with the rest of the gang. Jelly is a quick energy source for lots of birds, especially when it is cold. In addition to Orioles, we regularly see Orange-crowned Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Mockingbirds, Cardinals, Cowbirds, and later in the spring, Catbirds, all enjoying the jelly. This year we also had the Tennessee Warbler, and I watched Red-winged Blackbirds helping themselves when it was especially cold. It stayed icy and cold for the week and the next weekend it snowed a few inches--lots of winter for our area. 

Icy tree branches. Everything outside was slick.

There was even ice on the birds

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Red-winged Blackbirds prefer birdseed but will eat jelly when they're hungry

Cardinals won't pass up a sweet burst of energy

I guess the birds hunkered down and took shelter in bushes or leafy trees in the icy rain and snow. When there was a break in the snow I saw lots of activity at all the feeders as the birds refueled so they could maintain their warmth and energy. Baltimore Orioles will also eat seed and suet and even camellia flowers (possibly for the nectar?), though I never observed Hoodini eating anything other than jelly. In the wild, Hooded Warblers eat insects, but those are hard to find in the snow. I didn't see him again until the next day after the snow had ended. He came and ate a few times, and then he was gone. I haven't seen him since February 1. 

Two Baltimore Orioles bickering over the jelly while the snow falls

He showed up one last time the day after the snow storm. This is my last photo.

I have watched for him every day for a month. I guess he has moved on, but I worry about him. He does not have the safety of a flock of other Hooded Orioles to travel with. Though he interacted with the Baltimore Orioles, he was not part of their group. Several times I saw a neighbor's cat prowling in the yard and it gave me a start. I shooed it away, but I know it could come back another time. I think I saw fox tracks in the snow. I also saw a Cooper's Hawk in the front yard, eyeing the feeders. They hunt birds in our yard all the time. A Red-tailed Hawk in the back yard had the local birds spooked for a while until they realized it was busy eating its squirrel, and they went about their business. I hope Hoodini is safe. I hope he has moved to some place with lots of bugs and jelly. I hope I see him again (or maybe I don't, because he doesn't belong in Georgia, so far away from his native range and fellow Hooded Orioles). But for one month it was nice to have something magical to take my mind off all the awful stuff going on in our country and in the world. Fare thee well, my beautiful hooded friend. 

Attractions, not Distractions

Stand Up for Science Rally in Washington D.C.

I am a caring person and I take my personal responsibilities as a citizen (locally, nationally, globally) very seriously. I try to stay involved and informed. I vote in every election and I follow the news. But since the new administration took over this January, it has been pretty overwhelming. The cruelty, waste and wanton destruction in this administration is hard to fathom. They have done amazing amounts of damage in a very short time. Things I once took for granted--the constitution, our relationship with the rest of the world, our social safety net, citizenship and immigration, vaccines, veteran's care, scientific research, universities, national parks, history, language (to name just some)--are being destroyed before my eyes.  It feels like we are descending into a dystopian science fiction novel. It makes me feel sad and hopeless for the future, and some days I want to just turn off the news, curl up in a ball, and ignore it all. But I can't do that forever. So I pay attention. I write and call my representatives. I donate to causes I believe in. Last month I traveled to Washington D.C. with my husband to attend the Stand Up For Science rally. I plan to attend more rallies. But I still feel pretty overwhelmed. It makes my heart hurt. 

Lichen on a twig

So what's a person to do? How do you keep going with this constant onslaught of chaos and destruction? How do you re-charge? I've tried some of the distractions that we turned to during the this president's last administration, and the scary months of COVID shutdown. I've tried comfort eating, but then my clothes don't fit. Drinking away my sorrows works for a couple of hours, but then I wake up with a headache in the morning. Binge watching shows and movies helps me escape for a while, but when I turn off the TV and, nothing has changed.

Fading Hepatica flower next to green moss

I was thinking about a friend, Susan, who died many years ago. In her last days when I talked to her she told me that she was looking for Attractions, not Distractions. It took me a long time to appreciate what she meant by that, but I think I get it now, and I think that is what I need in this moment. I don't want to cover up or block out what is happening right now. I need to feel that. But I also need something that draws me and enriches and fills my hurting heart, something that can exist beyond this moment that I can tap into when I need it in the future. 

Ocean of Bloodroot leaves. The flowers must have been glorious a few weeks ago

One last Bloodroot blossom 

Nature does this for me. This weekend I walked in the Lake Herrick woods and after I was able to get my brain to turn off the inner commentary--about politics, litter, loud cars, drones over the lake, invasive plants--I started to connect again. I heard my own breath and the sound of my footsteps on the path. I heard birds song, saw wild flowers, noticed colors and shapes, smells and the greenness of spring. I spent 10 minutes or so watching a red-shouldered hawk that landed on a tree near the path. I think it was hunting for food for its mate that I heard calling from across the woods. It watched me as I slowly walked closer. It didn't fly away when I raised my camera. I walked on, and the hawk stayed put. The peace of that moment stays with me still. 

Red-shouldered Hawk encounter

Family. Friends. Pets. Music. Art. Service. Creativity. Love. These are all attractions that can give us strength for another day. And they build us up rather than covering up, or tearing down. Go find the Attractions. 

My Fellow Americans

The long road, somewhere between Vernal and Vail

My husband and I like to travel and often we will choose to drive. We don't really like the fact that flying has such a huge carbon footprint, and it takes so long to deal with the airport. Besides, flying is uncomfortable and it's not always more convenient. Driving may or may not take more time, but it gives you flexibility and room for all your stuff, and and it's nice to have a vehicle at your end destination. I don't love interstate highway driving, but I do enjoy seeing how the view changes as we move from state to state and zone to zone, going from lush green forest to desert, hilly to flat to mountains and back. 

Wind Farming in Oklahoma 

Southwest Colorado

Nearing Telluride, CO

Cotton Fields in the Mississippi Delta

This summer we took a pretty epic road trip. We drove more than 4000 miles, from Athens, GA to Telluride, CO and on to Salt Lake City, and then back home again, with overnight stops in Tupelo, MS, Little Rock, AR, Shamrock, TX, Santa Fe, NM, Denver, CO, Wichita, KS, Bentonville, AR, and Birmingham, AL. We have an electric vehicle and so we charge 1-2 times a day on a long drive, and plan for a hotel where we can charge overnight. We usually eat lunch while the car charges which takes about 45 minutes. Whenever possible we try to find local eateries. Sometimes the chargers are located in parking lots with no food service nearby, so we hang around the car and snack or pick up munchies from a Walmart, one of the most common businesses that offer charging stations. Occasionally we luck out and find wonderful, fast chargers in beautiful settings and that makes a huge difference. Often while we charge, we have conversations with fellow EV drivers or people who are curious about how it works. Everyone is eager to compare notes about the various EV's and share good and bad charging experiences. 

Just a couple of EV drivers having a chat at the chargers

Typical hotel charger

This charging stop in Moab, UT is probably the nicest one we've been to. The chargers were fast and plentiful, and while you wait you can picnic or hike along trails that lead to Arches N.P.

We set out on the road one morning in late July, heading to Little Rock. We spent the first night in Tupelo, MS, and we came back to our hotel from dinner just as a massive flock of Purple Martins was flying overhead. I stood and watched for a good 15 minutes as tens of thousands of birds flew over in waves. Other people in the hotel parking lot were watching this amazing sight, too. It was marvelous. We shared a moment of awe and appreciation.

Tupelo, MS

A few nights later, we stopped for the night in Shamrock, TX, a small town just over the OK/TX border on old Route 66. We picked a hotel that said it had a charger, but when we tried to plug in, the charger just wasn't working. This could have been a problem for us, but the busy and kind hotel manager helped us by calling the charger company and resetting the system. She didn't know anything about the charger, and said hardly anyone used it, but she gamely came outside in very hot weather and worked on the phone with customer service to help us out. She said they get a lot of storms and the chargers probably got knocked off line. We thanked her profusely and let her know how helpful it was to have stops like this available on the road. Later that evening, we walked around town to find something to eat and ended up at a local bar and hamburger restaurant that happened to be hosting live music outside. The place was busy and everyone seemed to know each other and the musicians, but they made room for us and welcomed us in. We got a table by the yard and ate dinner while we listened to great music as the sun went down. 

Summer Music in Shamrock, TX

When we arrived in Santa Fe and then Telluride (our main destination, for a conference) we joined the ranks of fellow tourists in vacation destinations, where none of us were locals and we were all just passing through, enjoying the food, culture and scenery. People were from everywhere and from all walks of life and political persuasions and we all managed to get along just fine. And each leg of our journey gave us another taste (sometimes literally!) of the incredible diversity and beauty our country has to offer. 

Dead Horse Point in southern Utah

Silver Lake at Brighton, Utah

Traveling through Española, NM and Durango, CO, Green River and Vernal, UT, and Oxford, MS, we ate delicious regional food (blue corn pancakes with piñon nuts, or green chili cheeseburgers, or catfish and greens, anyone?) charged our car, rested up, and enjoyed our short visits. Everywhere we go people are friendly. Servers in cafes ask us where we're from and tell us what not to miss in their town. People in hotels or museums or parks are quick to say hi and chit chat about weather, cute dogs, etc. We get a lot of "Go Dawgs" when my husband has on his UGA hat. Mostly we don't know who they are voting for, and they don't know about us, though sometimes we can all guess, but it doesn't seem to matter. Everyone is nice. I know the friendly reaction might be different if we were not a middle aged, middle class, white, heterosexual couple, but even in small rural towns where we stood out with our EV, my jeans and nature t-shirts, and my husband's beard and long hair, everyone treated us well.

Huevos Rancheros in Santa Fe

Catfish for lunch in Oxford, MS

For the trip home from Salt Lake, we chose a slightly more northern route than we have taken before and it led us through the Uintah and Ouray Reservation in Utah, then to Denver via Glenwood Springs, across Kansas, up to Bentonville, AR, and down to Little Rock. From there we drove the back way through Oxford, MS and down to Birmingham, AL and on to Georgia. The highways on this route, until about Birmingham, were smaller and we slowed down and enjoyed the scenery as we moved from the Rocky Mountains to the plains. We saw farms and forests, wind farms and oil fields, deer and antelope, prairie dogs and golden eagles, and watched storms blowing in. Arriving back home in Georgia, I felt happy that we had experienced so much of our huge and beautiful country. 

Denver after a big rain

Storm clouds building on the Kansas prairie

We spent a night in Wichita, across the Arkansas River from the stadium for the local minor league baseball team, the Wichita Wind Surge. There was a game that night and it looked pretty fun but we'd arrived in town too late to consider attending. 

We stopped in Bentonville, AR to see the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. It was totally worth the visit. This is a work by James Turrell. The blue is the sky, seen in this "Skyspace", a structure with a hole in the ceiling. The colors and reflections and shadows change constantly through the day.

Sleeping Cows in Arkansas

Crossing the Mighty Mississippi River

Busy Birmingham

Home, Sweet Home

Now, here we are on Election Day, and there is a great deal of uncertainty and anxiety all across the U.S. We are fearful about what the future brings. No matter who wins, the other side will be scared and angry. We mistrust the intentions of the politicians and the people who surround them.  I am very concerned and this election has been keeping me up at night. There is so much at stake. But I don't buy that the people of our country are as divided as we are led to believe. I think we are not all that different from each other. We all want a good life for our families and friends and we care about the places we live in. I have observed this through our travels and at home in my own neighborhood. At core, regardless of what we might be told by people trying to scare us into voting a certain way, we get along with our neighbors and are kind to strangers. We may disagree about our politics, but we put that aside and pitch in when we see someone in need, as evidenced in the recent hurricanes. We volunteer to feed the hungry, clean the roadside, coach our kids' sports teams, lead scout troops, and staff polling places. We say hi when we pass on the sidewalk. We smile at kids, and pet dogs. We hold doors open. We look out for each other. Most people are kind. We live in a beautiful country of good people. And our differences make us interesting! We are all in this together. No matter who wins or loses the election I will be keeping this in mind.