Kentucky Warbler

I wish I had a picture of this bird, but I am lucky just to have seen and heard it. Google Image it, if you'd like.

I was making my "to go" breakfast when my cell phone rang at 7:32. I looked at the read out on the phone and saw that the call was coming from my friend, Mark.

Mark is a brilliant birder and has an incredibly keen ear. I am beyond flattered that he has insisted on having me on his small team of 3 or 4 birders for the Buzzards Bay Christmas Bird Counts for the last several years. Otherwise, I would not do it at all. As with most things I am involved with, I am not able to spend nearly as much time birding as I would like which keeps me stuck at mediocre at best. I know I could be better and could contribute more, but I take what I can get.

Anyway, he was birding in a conservation area near by and had come up with a very accommodating Kentucky Warbler. This would be a "life bird" for me (one I have never seen before ). I was in the process of talking myself into believing I just could not get there, see the bird and get to work on time when I decided, F-it! I'm going for it. I stuffed what I could in my lunch bag, topped off my coffee, skipped brushing my teeth (I knew I could do this once I got to work) and headed out. I was there in minutes. I parked the truck, left the keys in the ignition and, as I was getting out of the truck, twisted the right eyepiece clean off the body of my binoculars with my fingers thinking I was adjusting them! Holy SHIT! How friggin' embarrassing! I could not get the thing back together there in the woods.

The bird was singing and flitting about on the ground and in the underbrush along the river, but I could not get a good bead on it. I was able to see out of the left side of the binoculars, but Mark insisted I use his to find the bird. I expect it was a strange site... Me, in my uniform, creeping along the banks of the river with Mark walking behind me. It's the strangeness of the whole thing that makes it even more worthwhile for me. The funny thing is it's not strange to us at all.

The bird stayed just deep enough in the underbrush to be frustrating given my time constraint. When it sang it sounded as though it was right in front of us. Eventually it flew back out towards the access road. I watched it fly a low, wide, half circle and land across the road. It was here I was able to get a good look at the bird. I would have stayed for better views, but I was sure I was at my time limit, so I handed Mark his binocs, thanked him and headed off to work.

I was right. I made it to work with 30 seconds to spare.... And yes, I did brush my teeth when I got there. Eventually I repaired the binoculars.