Peanuts In My Pocket

Birding has become a big part of my life in retirement. I get out three or four times a week, and most of my outings are healthy, uplifting, and fun. I say most because I occasionally visit a place that feels off, like the area under the flight path near Newport Bay, with its jet noise and crowds. But when the variables line up and the setting is quiet, peaceful, and uncrowded, I’m in heaven.

My wife and I bird together on the weekends. She’s still working, so Saturdays are precious until she retires in June. We treasure those outings, along with the inevitable post-birding lunch and afternoon nap. It usually adds up to a perfect day.

This week’s trip was to one of our favorite hidden spots, the Fullerton Arboretum on the campus of Cal State Fullerton. We visit a few times a year. February is my favorite month there, as it often coincides with the California poppy bloom and the first hints of spring. This visit did not disappoint. The early blooms alone were worth the trip.

The birds were active and plentiful. We missed a flock of cedar waxwings by about thirty minutes, but we managed to record 21 other species, including a new lifer, a Bell’s Vireo, which is uncommon for this location and season.

Wander the brushy edges and willow tangles of the Fullerton Arboretum and you might hear it before you see it, a quick, scratchy burst of song rising from a low bush. The Bell’s Vireo is a modest little songbird, dressed in soft gray and olive, with a neat white wingbar and a faint, spectacled expression that gives it a quietly alert look.

It rarely sits still. Instead, it flicks its long tail and threads its way through dense shrubs, disappearing and reappearing in flashes of movement. This is a bird of cover. Listen carefully, linger quietly, and you might be rewarded.

We lingered beside a thick tangle of brush for about ten minutes before I finally spotted it. At the time, I had no idea what I was looking at. Only later, back home with my guides and a few identification tools, did I confirm it. The Bell’s Vireo became lifer number 217 for me and my eleventh new species of 2026. I feel like I’m off to a strong start.

My wife added a few lifers of her own. We earned our lunch by wandering through the cactus and desert garden areas in detail, moving slowly and deliberately. Our birding outings have evolved into slow-motion walks through beautiful foliage accompanied by constant birdsong. It is deeply relaxing, almost transformative.

I think of it as the opposite of work. The stress of my former career seems to peel away with each outing, leaving something simpler in its place. Retirement has surprised me. The formula is straightforward. Get outside. Spend time with someone you love. Pay attention to beauty. I never had enough time before.