The last week has felt very hectic, not just for me but for my whole lab. It seems we’re all prepping for a field season/writing a paper/learning how to solder under a microscope. (Okay, that last one might not apply to all of us.) Not only do I have too much to do, but I can’t seem to decide when I should be doing what. Is it most crucial to be writing the paper revisions that are due soon, or packing dinners for the field? Or wait, isn’t starting the camera batteries charging the first most-important thing? But if I don’t take the car to the mechanic before doing everything else, we won’t even be able to get to the field…
So, to balance out my crazy disorganized brain, here are some birds who are doing exactly what they need to be doing and not second-guessing themselves at all.
White-crowned Sparrow: eating a flower.
Black Phoebe: watching for bugs.
Eurasian Collared Dove: sitting on her nest.
Herring (?) Gull: eating garbage.
Feral pigeons (but in Spain!): sitting on the nest/keeping the nest-sitter company.
European Goldfinch: giving himself a much-needed preen.
American White Pelican: basking in the sun.
Rooster: keeping an eye on his hens.
White Stork: making sure all the sticks are in the right place.
American Avocet: retrieving something delicious from the mud.
Another Spanish feral pigeon: guarding the city walls.
Griffon Vultures: having a meeting.
Cattle Egret: being grumpy. (Hey, sometimes you just have to be grumpy.)
Barn Swallows: getting ready for bed. (That’s a yawn.)
Razorbills: flying single-file, just like they taught in kindergarten.
Mourning Dove: sitting on her nest.
Black-winged Stilt: taking big steps with care.
Chestnut-backed Chickadee: shouting at the world.
Tough Little Birds 
Clearly none of these birds is trying to get a PhD, teach, revise a paper, plan field trips, or work with anything requiring batteries!
Beautiful! The birds greatest lesson to humankind: just be :)