No Foolin'
I dreamed about hummingbirds the other night. I think the Fort Worth Audubon website got me thinking about them. I am always disappointed to wake up from birding dreams, because they usually involve me getting a really close look at something amazing.
I did see a couple great birds yesterday. I was washing my car in the driveway of my brother Mikey, who lives in northern Louisiana. I looked up and what should I see but a Pileated Woodpecker flying casually from the back side the house toward the front. He didn't stop, but he flew low enough that his (or her--I'm not good enough to catch that in flight) red crest was clearly visible. What an amazing bird.
Mikey says they see those often in this area, and he even saw one dead in the road with its mate flying recklessly about overhead. I am very much a beginner student of bird behavior, but I can believe that one of these gorgeous woodpeckers would mourn the loss of another.
He said the dead one he had seen was not very big, which confused me a little. I mentioned the possibility that he had seen a Red-headed rather than a Pileated, but he said it had the red crest. It's possible that they appear smaller once deceased, I suppose. Mere hours after discussing this, I saw a Red-headed swoop across the road and land atop a power pole, but was too slow pointing it out for Mikey, who was driving, to see it.
Baby steps: I'm so pleased with myself even for recognizing these birds in flight. It is so hard when they all look different depending on what posture they are in. On top of it all, there are the songs, calls and distinctive behaviors. How does one ever learn it all? Perhaps my hard-headed stubbornness and competitive nature will serve me well. If they can, I can, dang it!
I did see a couple great birds yesterday. I was washing my car in the driveway of my brother Mikey, who lives in northern Louisiana. I looked up and what should I see but a Pileated Woodpecker flying casually from the back side the house toward the front. He didn't stop, but he flew low enough that his (or her--I'm not good enough to catch that in flight) red crest was clearly visible. What an amazing bird.
Mikey says they see those often in this area, and he even saw one dead in the road with its mate flying recklessly about overhead. I am very much a beginner student of bird behavior, but I can believe that one of these gorgeous woodpeckers would mourn the loss of another.
He said the dead one he had seen was not very big, which confused me a little. I mentioned the possibility that he had seen a Red-headed rather than a Pileated, but he said it had the red crest. It's possible that they appear smaller once deceased, I suppose. Mere hours after discussing this, I saw a Red-headed swoop across the road and land atop a power pole, but was too slow pointing it out for Mikey, who was driving, to see it.
Baby steps: I'm so pleased with myself even for recognizing these birds in flight. It is so hard when they all look different depending on what posture they are in. On top of it all, there are the songs, calls and distinctive behaviors. How does one ever learn it all? Perhaps my hard-headed stubbornness and competitive nature will serve me well. If they can, I can, dang it!
2 Comments:
"If they can, I can, dang it!"
Amen! We'll be master birders and gurus yet.
Congratulations on your success! I think I like these beginning stages of birding. Looking forward can be daunting, but the victories are oh so sweet.
You dream about birds a lot, don't you?
I didn't think I did until I started this blog. I don't usually remember my dreams at all, but now that I have the subconscious knowledge that it's something I can put in a blog that is always short on material, maybe my brain stores it away.
I agree that the wonder of being new at this (It's almost been three years since I started, so I'm quickly becoming not "new" but "slow" : ) is terrific, but since there's so much to learn, it can also last a long time--forever, if you keep the spirit of the quest alive. Wow, that sounded like Star Trek or something.
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