On Oct 22, 2009, at 1:37 PM, Gerald & Laura Tarbell wrote:
> I went over to the Catoctins to look at MY streams (not the stocked
> ones of
> the variety I fished yesterday) and in spite of last week's rain
> they aren't
> up to my standards. Amazes me that I measured 4" of rain here in
> Carroll
> last week and it had no effect on these mountains over north of
> Frederick.
> Such is life.
>
> So I walked and got new species for the fall. Among them BROWN
> CREEPERS,
> HERMIT THRUSHES and large flocks of JUNCOS. I also encountered
> probably the
> largest bunch of RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS I have ever seen. Often we
> encounter
> them in small bands or individually. This is the first time I've
> had about
> 50 of them in one place, some of them flying in for close-up,
> non-binoculared looks. All that was missing was some of them
> popping up
> their cute little crowns like they often do in spring before they
> leave.
>
> Lots of WHITE-THROATS around too, sometimes with the Juncos.
>
> I also heard some Pileation, but was unable to spot the Pileator that
> Pileated.
>
> One last question: why do Woolly Bears just cross roads all day? I
> know the
> bit about them showing possums that it can be done, but at one
> point on the
> way back the road was practically covered with them. Seems like
> they would
> have something better to do. Like going birding.
>
> Jerry Tarbell
> Unpileated in Carroll County
Well, now, Jerry, seems to me they are birding,
only it's a different [zen?] mode of birding.
Instead of pishing, they attract birds visually
by moving slowly across a plain background,
such as pavement, with their
attractive, varicolored fuzzyiness
-- this is the paradoxical opposite of
camouflage, of course.
They have no interest in lists, seeking only that one
"God-what-a-great-look!" sighting before they die
and go to their version of Birder's heaven
having achieved a marvelous at-oneness with a bird.
Leo Weigant
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