Evening Mall Birds

This evening I walked down the National Mall despite the threatening rain. (Last night it threatened to rain, too, but I did not see any fall from the sky.) Not too many birds were in evidence tonight. The commoners (common grackle, European starling, house sparrow, northern mockingbird) have fledged and the youngsters were begging for food. I watched a few parents feeding their young in the garden behind the Smithsonian Castle. Then the rains came. This was not your ordinary drizzle. This was a full-fledged summer downpour. At first I tried taking shelter under the overhang from a doorway, but eventually it became clear that even that was not shelter enough. So I walked back. The rain did not stop until I had reached my apartment. At least the exercise was worth the trip.

Rock Pigeon
Chimney Swift
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
House Sparrow
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird