Good morning, DMV! Today is Thursday, Oct. 22 — my birthday!
What better gift could you have given me than your bird stories? We’ve been talking birds the past few days, and you’ve kept it going. Why stop a good conversation?
Apparently starling murmurations are a thing in the Navy Yard neighborhood of D.C. In yesterday’s newsletter, I wrote about the video Elise Bundl Egan took of the birds on Oct. 15. Then Bridget Watts, 57, a resident of Northwest D.C., shared her video from shortly after sunset on Oct. 7.
“I was suddenly happy I had stayed at work so freaking late … I was just heading home after work, but couldn't help but stop for 4 or 5 minutes to watch when I noticed them,” Bridget wrote to me in an email.
“I'm not sure what species of bird it is in the video, but they def roost in the Navy Yard trees. Some of the tree-lined sidewalks along Tingey St have shown evidence of their activity over the past few years (walk quickly if you hear a lot of birds overhead..or cross the street!).”
I asked María-Elena Montero, president of the DC Bird Alliance conservation and advocacy group, who said they’re definitely European starlings.
***
Alexandria resident Rosanne Lush, 41, spotted these birds while kayaking on the Potomac on Monday.
(Rosanne Lush)
“A blue heron (my friend Monica calls them bendy boys) high up in a tree,” she wrote to me in an email.
Eagles and an airplane. (Rosanne Lush)
“And a pair of eagles on the end of Roosevelt Island. I've seen them in this spot a few times now, so it must be a good hunting/lounging spot.”
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📰 News around the DMV
Capital Weather says: Our forecast is on repeat, but who's complaining? More sunshine and highs in the 60s. Read the full forecast here.
Boom or bust? Five experts reveal their D.C. winter snow predictions. (Capital Weather)
🦅 Things to do
DC Bird Alliance and the Maryland Ornithological Society are organizing daily bird walks at Hains Point next Monday to Saturday to celebrate the birding hotspot and raise awareness about possible impacts if the Trump administration moves ahead with plans to develop the East Potomac Golf Links into a championship-style 18-hole course.
Click here for more information and to register. I plan to go Tuesday morning to learn more. Please say hello if you see me. I’ll be wearing the big-brimmed navy blue sun hat with white edging.
Also upcoming …
10 a.m.-noon Saturday: A demo on “eating acorns” at the U.S. Botanic Garden. How do they taste? A quick search online tells me that acorns, properly cooked and leached, are compared to chestnuts (my favorite) or hazelnuts (my daughter’s favorite).
18 things to do around D.C. this weekend (The 51st)
🎂 My birthday joy
One of my portraits for Yoga Heights, where I just passed my audition to teach. I start on the sub list. Woot! (Natalie Gomez)
I almost didn’t make it to 50. In April 2024, I was about to undergo a medical procedure when they mistakenly stopped my heart. They performed CPR to save me.
Now, I’ve completed 52 laps around the sun. I’m thankful to have more time here. As I wrote earlier this year, on the second anniversary of the day I died and was reborn with a superpower: Life tastes so good.
🧘🏻♀️
