It has been a really long time, I know! I can't even use my coming down with COVID-19 as an excuse because I was barely sick for two weeks...and that was already a month ago. I started to write this post two weeks ago, left it as a draft to finish, and forgot about it until this morning when 
So let's see, it has been a little over two weeks since my MD-ordered isolation officially ended (although my roommate is still very weary of being around me). For the most part isolation was a breeze - I got to stay in my room and play Animal Crossing, watch tv shows and movies, and anything I needed my sister was happy to bring over and leave on my doorstep. I was also able to go onto our patio an do a little gardening and balcony birding because our roommate doesn't use that space.
favorite balcony bird, the chestnut-backed chickadee
I also used the isolation as an excuse to dip into some of the money I have saved from modeling to make purchases from artists and small businesses that I have admired for a while, but put off because I felt like I couldn't justify spending the money. After seeing the impact that the pandemic has had on artists and small businesses, I was more than willing to finally make the larger purchases I had previously been hesitant about. That will be a separate post.
However, one of the big purchases I made on isolation was purely selfish and unnecessary...
After years and years of using second-hand cameras given to me by my mom, I finally bought one with my very own money! Still second-hand, but it feels really nice to have a camera I bought myself (and that has over 10 MP...). What feels even better is the fact that I paid for almost half of it with money made from selling plushies and other random stuff (comics, books, wigs...) on Mercari.
The camera arrived a few days before my isolation was up, so I got a little antsy at the end. I was dying to try the camera with the (also second-hand) lens I got back in January. It was worth the wait (both for the camera and for birding in general!).
the hooded orioles are back in our area and were easy to find at the park I decided to test my camera at
the Bullock's orioles are back too, and just as easy to locate by their loud chatter
I even caught a glimpse of a new bird, a rufous hummingbird!
my first day off isolation was a great birding day!
Unfortunately, I had to wait over a week to use my camera again because jumping back into work (along with other time-consuming commitments) really tired me out and had me just resting during any free time. But, I made it out to our city's natural area and did a little more birding and picture-taking earlier last week:
male song sparrows are singing up a storm all along the levees
I think they're neat looking sparrows with their black streaking*
and of course, I have to share my favorite little chickadee
I hope to get out birding some more in the coming weeks, because it is a great stress-reliever and distraction from work, school, and some of the other commitments that have been taking up a lot more time than I anticipated. I hope to be able to post more here, too. That's it for now, though!