Week 26: Birding Interlude

I'm keeping busy, reading lots, doing some writing, and I went to the Southwest for my niece's recital and got to do a little birding.  (My Sister-in-Law and Mother were along, so it really was minimal birding.)

Anyway, a couple of pictures!

I think this is a Lesser Goldfinch.  I'm not sure, though.

A Verdin!  You can't really see in this picture, but there's a bit of reddish at the shoulder tip of the wing.  Very exciting!

Great Egret!

Abert's Towhee!

The Lesser Goldfinch, Verdin, and Abert's Towhee were all lifers, as were some American Avocets (no good picture, alas).  Other good for me birds include Black-Necked Stilt, Ring-Necked Ducks.

I also think, pretty sure but not absolutely, that I saw a White-Winged Dove and a Gila Woodpecker.

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In other news, I'm now working on the first Vivaldi piece in Suzuki Book 4, the Concerto in A Minor, first movement.  It's so beautiful and fun to work on, but so hard, too!

I posted back here about turning in my promotion portfolio.  I've now received the call from my department colleagues that they voted to promote me, so that's good news.

I got my teaching assignments (tentative) for next year; I asked for, and got, Chaucer.  And I immediately had my first anxiety dream, well over a year in advance.  Ugh.

Finally, the elections turned out pretty well here in the Northwoods.  There's a sliver of hope now that at least things won't get worse this coming year.

Back to work!