Hi Everyone,
I was excited to land a very unexpected yard bird well before dawn this
morning. I pulled out of my driveway, got about two houses away, and
stopped because a robin in my headlights kind of looked like a
meadowlark. With binoculars I found that it looked like a meadowlark
because it was a meadowlark. Years of training prepared me for the
critical next 30 seconds:
- Quickly grab camera that I have with me for no good reason on the way to work.
- Quickly set ISO to 3200, set aperture as low as it goes, and burst shoot about 10 frames through the windshield by headlights.
- Quickly put car into reverse and back up 2 houses, diagonally into my
driveway, where I can still see the bird in the road. (I run a clean
yard list. This is very serious stuff.)
- Slowly approach the bird and take a couple more photos.
- Step out of the car with a towel to pick it up if injured. A wildlife
rehabilitator is four houses away, so this is not the worst place to
wipe out.
- Bird flies away safely. My work here is done.
This is not a yard bird I really expected, especially on the ground. At
this exact time and location (two blocks from Fort Smallwood in AA Co.),
it could hardly be a more obvious migrant.
I stopped at Southwest Area Park before work, spotting the continuing
VESPER SPARROW near the parking lot at the boat ramp. An ORANGE-CROWNED
WARBLER was chipping in the groundsel (water bushes) just up the hill.
(New April bird for me.) Also present were two NORTHERN SHOVELERs, a
WILSON'S SNIPE, a BONAPARTE'S GULL, several NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED
SWALLOWs, and two BROWN THRASHERs. SWAMP and FIELD SPARROWs were singing
up a storm. I was surprised to not hear any pheasants calling on this
sunny morning.
Leslie Starr, Joe Turner, and Warren Strobel were also birding the area when I reluctantly headed for work...
Good birding,
Bill
Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland
http://www.billhubick.com
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