Sep 15 2008
Taking what we’re given
Last Thursday, September 11, I visited the hawk watch at nearby Cape Henlopen State Park. During the two or so hours I was there, it was nearly hawk-free. This sort of thing happens all the time when birding–the hoped-for species or phenomenon simply fails to materialize, or if it does, the birder fails to perceive it.
So the challenge often comes down to perceiving and enjoying something else–most often, getting new insight into common species. After all, the most fundamental characteristic of rarities (vagrant species, heavy hawk flights, etc) is that they are, um, rare, so we had better be prepared to make do without them most of the time.
Forrest, employed as he was in the practice of a science that equally values both zero and nonzero data, was obliged to hold the fort. I descended the stairs and poked around in the pine scrub.
In almost no time, I was rewarded with a nice little flock of migrant and resident songbirds. You may have already seen the Red-eyed Vireo in a previous post–there was also a handsome adult male Black-throated Blue Warbler.
Best of all were the always-animated and inquisitive Brown-headed Nuthatches that swarmed through the gnarled trees. So while my hawk-watching trip didn’t include much hawk-watching, it was still very rewarding.
And by the way, don’t feel too bad for Forrest. His sharp eyes and ears ensure that he enjoys a lot more than just hawks, even when he’s “stuck” on the platform.
[...] If you ever want to know what a real birder is like, just check out posts like his recent Taking What We're Given and you'll know! Rick Wright is a birding buddy of mine down in Tucson, Arizona. His [...]