Birders' Nest

[owlice]

"Come now, let us all make merry!
Why not help me eat this berry?
Don't you love my stripey head?"

Flutt'ring wings, they danced and partied
Through the day till, heavy-hearted,
All the birds went home to bed.

In the morning, up jumped Tinker
(Such an enterprising thinker):
"Shall we do it all again?" ...

A thousand kudos to you, Elgarian Redux, for these most delightful verses!!

I hope your weather has improved enough to allow the birds to return to your garden and the hills to call you to them again.

[Elgarian Redux]

A thousand kudos to you, Elgarian Redux, for these most delightful verses!!

No, no - I just kicked the ball you'd splendidly tossed up in the air. It really needs another verse with the last line rhyming with 'again', but inspiration failed me. So we'll never know if they did it again or not.

I hope your weather has improved enough to allow the birds to return to your garden and the hills to call you to them again.

Still windy but no rain, so up we went, accompanied for part of the way by a couple of friendly reed buntings. Here's Mrs Buntosaurus:

[owlice]

I don't go off hunting rarities, for instance, and I've forgotten how many species were once on my tick list. (I no longer have a tick list. It wasn't impressive, even when I did.) But the pay-off, for the rest of my life, was that recognising and watching birds in landscape became an important part of being there. A 'fellow creatures' sort of feeling.

I also don't hunt rarities, though I do see them sometimes simply because I am where they are. And I don't keep a life list, though iNaturalist, to which I upload many of my [photo] observations (as that site would put it) might serve as one, except that there are many birds I have seen that I have not photographed.

I once observed a man who drove 1,000 miles for a three-day visit to a wildlife refuge for the sole purpose of seeing a rare bird (rare because the bird was out of its usual range). He trudged, lugging an impressive array of equipment (except for the times a kind stranger offered to carry it when it was clear the man was struggling from fatigue), from before dawn to nightfall, and did not see his target bird.

So much effort, and he went home unhappy, despite the other ~400 bird species around him! That strengthened my resolve to be happy with whatever I see, and to not hang my joy on any one particular sighting. It's all at least good, and this is why I have literally thousands of photos of Mallards, Red-winged Blackbirds, and other very very common birds.

Once you see the dog face on a Mallard beak, it's hard to unsee it.

 

Well you see (he said, innocently, trying not to laugh), when I wrote that important piece of arachnophilosophy it was daylight.

It was daylight when I read it, but the possibility of recalling it at night is not the non-zero it was before I read it!!

[owlice]

No, no - I just kicked the ball you'd splendidly tossed up in the air. It really needs another verse with the last line rhyming with 'again', but inspiration failed me. So we'll never know if they did it again or not.

I was mangling RL Stevenson (my apologies to him); you, sir, mangled no verse, and instead, wrangled splendid lines in reply!

Still windy but no rain, so up we went, accompanied for part of the way by a couple of friendly reed buntings. Here's Mrs Buntosaurus:

Mrs. Buntosaurus is beautiful, and captured so beautifully, I literally got goose (buntosaurus?) bumps. What a lovely little bird! Thank you for sharing her.

[Elgarian Redux]

I also don't hunt rarities, though I do see them sometimes simply because I am where they are. And I don't keep a life list, though iNaturalist, to which I upload many of my [photo] observations (as that site would put it) might serve as one, except that there are many birds I have seen that I have not photographed.

I once observed a man who drove 1,000 miles for a three-day visit to a wildlife refuge for the sole purpose of seeing a rare bird (rare because the bird was out of its usual range). He trudged, lugging an impressive array of equipment (except for the times a kind stranger offered to carry it when it was clear the man was struggling from fatigue), from before dawn to nightfall, and did not see his target bird.

So much effort, and he went home unhappy, despite the other ~400 bird species around him!

Such a sad tale! Poor chap.

That strengthened my resolve to be happy with whatever I see, and to not hang my joy on any one particular sighting. It's all at least good, and this is why I have literally thousands of photos of Mallards, Red-winged Blackbirds, and other very very common birds.

That wide-angled joy in the birds comes through many of the comments you make. (Am I being fanciful if I say it seems to come through your photos too?)

Once you see the dog face on a Mallard beak, it's hard to unsee it.

Well, that's a giant-sized perception-shift for me, as far as the mallard is concerned!

It was daylight when I read it, but the possibility of recalling it at night is not the non-zero it was before I read it!!

Still trying to figure this out ....

I forgot to mention that when we got back in the car we had a smashing view of a hare tootling around, quite near, twitching his ears in a most 'why not photograph me?' attitude.
But the camera was .... in the boot. Ho hum.

[Elgarian Redux]

What is this lovely bird, please, @owlice? I don't know it.

[Elgarian Redux]

In the morning, up jumped Tinker
(Such an enterprising thinker):
"Shall we do it all again?"

"Yes indeed!" said Mrs Bunting,
"Out of berries! Let's go hunting!"
"I'll come too!" squeaked Jenny Wren.

[This thing has a life of its own.]

[Karl Henning]

I need to be more careful with my terminology. What I should have said is You take photos like a Pro (i.e they are outstandingly fine). But truly you're far more committed and skilful than I. I did most of my semi-serious birding during the 1970s. Under the strong influence of a bird-watching poet friend, I got myself to the not-very-advanced point where the watching of birds could become an inherent part of my enjoyment of wherever I might be. Since then I've rested on my laurels: I don't go off hunting rarities, for instance, and I've forgotten how many species were once on my tick list. (I no longer have a tick list. It wasn't impressive, even when I did.) But the pay-off, for the rest of my life, was that recognising and watching birds in landscape became an important part of being there. A 'fellow creatures' sort of feeling.

How about keeping the camera case in a camera case case, then?  But I suppose on further thought that it would merely be adding to the list of potentially lost things.

Well you see (he said, innocently, trying not to laugh), when I wrote that important piece of arachnophilosophy it was daylight.

In my experience, time spent with birds is well invested. 

[Iota]

I once observed a man who drove 1,000 miles for a three-day visit to a wildlife refuge for the sole purpose of seeing a rare bird (rare because the bird was out of its usual range). He trudged, lugging an impressive array of equipment (except for the times a kind stranger offered to carry it when it was clear the man was struggling from fatigue), from before dawn to nightfall, and did not see his target bird.

So much effort, and he went home unhappy, despite the other ~400 bird species around him! That strengthened my resolve to be happy with whatever I see, and to not hang my joy on any one particular sighting. It's all at least good, and this is why I have literally thousands of photos of Mallards, Red-winged Blackbirds, and other very very common birds.

Poor guy! The price for putting all your eggs in one basket can be very high sometimes ! (Apologies for the cheesily avian metaphor )

Once you see the dog face on a Mallard beak, it's hard to unsee it.

Hahaha, so true!

It was daylight when I read it, but the possibility of recalling it at night is not the non-zero it was before I read it!!

When I was in my twenties I was going out with a girl, and got home one night about 3.00am to find her standing on a chair in the middle of a brightly lit room, she'd been there for hours! She had told me she was scared of spiders but this was the first time I'd witnessed to what extent. At the time it was surprising because in all other respects she was a dynamic, highly self-confident person, but obviously that was irrelevant in terms of her phobia. Anyway since then I am far more aware of what phobias can do to peoples lives.

[Karl Henning]

Poor guy! The price for putting all your eggs in one basket can be very high sometimes ! (Apologies for the cheesily avian metaphor )

Hahaha, so true!

When I was in my twenties I was going out with a girl, and got home one night about 3.00am to find her standing on a chair in the middle of a brightly lit room, she'd been there for hours! She had told me she was scared of spiders but this was the first time I'd witnessed to what extent. At the time it was surprising because in all other respects she was a dynamic, highly self-confident person, but obviously that was irrelevant in terms of her phobia. Anyway since then I am far more aware of what phobias can do to peoples lives.

"A spider the size of a Buick!"

[owlice]

What is this lovely bird, please, @owlice?

A female Red-winged Blackbird. I also think them lovely.

(Am working; more later.)

(ETA: The irony of retired me working does not escape me. Someone somewhere is laughing, I am sure.)

[Elgarian Redux]

I suddenly saw a way to closure:

The Tinkerbird's Party

By R.L. Stevenson (may he forgive us),
Owlice (Chief Photographic Officer and Ideas Manager),
Elgarian (Chief Doggerel Monger),
and Iota (Chief Protocol Adviser)



A birdie with a yellow rump
Hopped up from the hollow stump
Cocked his coal-black eye and said:

"Come now, let us all make merry!
Why not help me eat this berry?
Don't you love my stripey head?"

Flutt'ring wings, they danced and partied
Through the day till, heavy-hearted,
All the birds went home to bed.

In the morning, up jumped Tinker
(Such an enterprising thinker):
"Shall we do it all again?"

"Yes indeed!" said Mrs Bunting,
"Out of berries! Let's go hunting!"
"I'll come too!" squeaked Jenny Wren.

Big on berries, loud with laughter,
They were happy ever after.


Ta-daaaa!

[Elgarian Redux]

A female Red-winged Blackbird. I also think them lovely.

Gorgeous bird. Would never have guessed at the name!

(Am working; more later.)

(ETA: The irony of retired me working does not escape me. Someone somewhere is laughing, I am sure.)

I'm not laughing, but I'm chuckling a bit, and nodding with understanding.

[Iota]

I suddenly saw a way to closure:

The Tinkerbird's Party

By R.L. Stevenson, Owlice (Chief Photographic Officer), and Elgarian



A birdie with a yellow rump
Hopped up from the hollow stump
Cocked his coal-black eye and said...

"Come now, let us all make merry!
Why not help me eat this berry?
Don't you love my stripey head?"

Flutt'ring wings, they danced and partied
Through the day till, heavy-hearted,
All the birds went home to bed.

In the morning, up jumped Tinker
(Such an enterprising thinker):
"Shall we do it all again?"

"Yes indeed!" said Mrs Bunting,
"Out of berries! Let's go hunting!"
"I'll come too!" squeaked Jenny Wren.

Big on berries, loud with laughter,
They all were happy ever after.


Ta-daaaa!

Haha, bravo, @Elgarian Redux! Alongside Owlice's title I think it's only fair that you now assign yourself a well-deserved 'Chief Poetry Officer'!

[Elgarian Redux]

Haha, bravo, @Elgarian Redux! Alongside Owlice's title I think it's only fair that you now assign yourself a well-deserved 'Chief Poetry Officer'!

I beat you to it, and had already edited the post! Look again!

Now we just have to put it to music and sing it.

[Iota]

I beat you to it, and had already edited the post! Look again!

Now we just have to put it to music and sing it.

Oh, haha, great minds etc! However, despite its catchiness, I think you do yourself down, with your new title ..

[Elgarian Redux]

Oh, haha, great minds etc! However, despite its catchiness, I think you do yourself down, with your new title ..

Chief Doggerel Monger then? I think you should be there too, now, as Chief Protocol Adviser. Just sharing the guilt around.

[Kalevala]

I found this interesting article about the first sighting of a red-winged blackbird in the UK (in 2017):

https://www.audubon.org/news/british-birders-chartered-private-flights-see-europes-first-red-winged-blackbird

K

[Elgarian Redux]

I found this interesting article about the first sighting of a red-winged blackbird in the UK (in 2017):

https://www.audubon.org/news/british-birders-chartered-private-flights-see-europes-first-red-winged-blackbird

K

Thanks for this. I don't think I'll be seeing one anytime soon, sadly ...

[Kalevala]

Thanks for this. I don't think I'll be seeing one anytime soon, sadly ...

You never know.  If a male one also managed to come over around the same time--or within the lifespan of that female....

I'm fortunate in that they like the conditions around here and I've often seen and/or heard them.  Love those bright red and gold bands on them.   

This is a sweet story (I often check out the Dodo on YT) of a bird catching a lift:

K