Saturday, March 10, 2012

Kharma

The Sora.  A rare find.
A little over half a year ago, I thought birding was funny.  Not that it was a joke, but I didn't get it.  Sometimes I would joke that birders were goofy people and sometimes just plain ol' strange.  Well, the tides have turned and it hit me several weeks ago that I had crossed over to the other side.  And I don't know how I feel about it.  It started with my post, The Closeted Birder.
Several of my birding friends reported Cedar Waxwings in the area and I knew I had several days to get my butt over to the springs where they were hanging out.  Agua Caliente park is a large park FULL of palms.  And with palms come the fruit that these birds love.  I walked the entire park searching for them and other birds.  It was a breezy day and I wasn't sure I would find the Great Blue Heron or Cedar Waxwings reported around the waters.
Northern Beardless Tyrannulet
I certainly found a lot of other birds out there, but I needed better guidance and thought that the docent in the gift shop would know more.  If you walk inside the building, there is a birding checklist.  It's actually quite nice and helpful for someone like me who has difficulty at times trying to identify birds. The docent was out.

So I went to the art gallery where there was another person selling beautiful artistic quilts from various artists. I asked if she knew anything about birds and she said that "She knew what most people knew about birds." which answered my question.  So I left and found several birders in the area.  They didn't know so I kept my eyes open until I spotted a birder standing near a group of palms.  More on that tomorrow.  But here's what happened.
Yellow Rumped Warbler
The Cedar Waxwings were near a group of palms along with a bunch of American Robins. We shot a lot of great pictures and had a really nice conversation.  I stayed a bit longer and did some more photography until I got some shots with better lighting.  It's very tricky to get good pictures of birds doing something special in midflight.

But what turned out to be a dull start ended with a bang and I wanted to share my excitement! On the way back to my car, I stopped at the center and let the lady know that I found them.  She was talking to another woman and while they were polite, I could see that they didn't care.  And I get that, but what I didn't expect was the mean laugh that followed after I turned my back and left the room.  "He's one of those nutty birder people."  I have to say that I have a thick skin, but that kind of hurt a bit.  When did it happen?

When did I become one of "them"?  The adrenaline rush from finding anything in the wild is pure magic.  It doesn't matter if it's a deer, wildflower, bird, cactus....it's just a wonderful gift.  I let it roll off my shoulders but I'm documenting this to remember that moment so I won't forget.  Maybe I am one of "them" but it sure beats sitting inside a room all day waiting for people to visit when the sun is out and about shining. Kharma.  It was a good lesson for the day.
One other note. "When the people play; birds will stray!"  I have to remember to search for low traffic areas where the majority of people don't congregate.....which would then turn out to be a high traffic area for birds that day.  More tomorrow on my Cedar Waxwing show!
American Robins




Time to fly!

14 comments:

  1. Masz szczęście, a właściwie nie tylko szczęście, bo kto umie patrzeć, ten zobaczy tyle wspaniałych ptaków i pokaże je nam na świetnych zdjęciach.Pozdrawiam. *** You're lucky, and actually not just luck, because who knows how to look, that sees so many wonderful birds and show them to us for great photos. Yours.

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  2. Haha, great to hear you "changed sides"..
    Fantastic series! Great pictures!
    Many greetings
    Yvonne & Raphael

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  3. Wow, great outing and wonderful bird photos. I probably use to feel the same way but now I am one of those birding nuts, geeks whatever people call us birders. I would love to see the Dora! Thanks for sharing your walk.

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  4. You have such a wonderful way of expressing yourself, Chris so even if you are "a nutty birder" we all love you for it ;) This is, as per usual, a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining post and your pictures are super. My favourite is of the little warbler facing slightly away from the camera. A perfectly posed little fellow! I, too, am one of those oddities who gets very caught up in the moment when viewing the remarkably beautiful world around me. I adore all birds, but I'm not at all knowledgeable about them. I can identify the more common ones and try to commit to memory the different markings of those less common, but I derive most of my enjoyment purely from watching and listening to them. As you so rightly say, they are all gifts. I love your little turtle. Yes, nature certainly is majestic and awe-inspiring and spending time outdoors imbibing it all is far more preferable to huddling indoors, gossiping about nutty birders :)

    I hope you're feeling less anxious about your owl family today?

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  5. If "those" people only knew what they were missing out on. They wouldn't be laughing. I'm not a true 'birder' but I enjoy them so much here in my backyard and I adore your photos. Keep 'em coming.

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  6. Ha, I was born nutty...nutty about seeing anything in nature too
    WELcome dear brother to the sacred club!
    let it go....be...like you say..beats being a nutty storeclerk
    proud to be a nutty birder
    How do you feel about lizards captured in pet shops in horrible neglected conditions..or worse..turtles...why I could be a regular nut here too....I hate pet shops and circuses

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  7. i am laughing that you did cross over rather quickly from those to one of them. :) i've always loved birds for as long as i can remember. drew them as a 4 yr old - in my mind's eye, they looked exactly like real life. of course, the drawings were a typical child's rendering. but i think i've managed to get better at that over the years. :)

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  8. I enjoy seeing different birds and watching them interact is a hoot. So many personalities. I'm just not as worried about the identifying or listing part. Enjoying your birding posts!

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  9. Wonderful the birds, and the turtle.

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  10. Oh, you've gone to the "dark side" have you? So glad, if that's what gets us all these great pictures. I think I have a picture of a Yellow Rumped Warbler too.

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  11. Join the club - I don't worry about people who see me as a nutty birder. I just feel sorry for them in not appreciating nature. Pleased you saw all those wonderful species, yellow rumped is a beautiful warbler

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  12. I heard a song once that went something like "Everybody loves a nut, but nobody likes a weirdo". So you're safe.

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  13. Chris, well, welcoem to the club! I am so glad you joined! Great pics as always and I am so jealous of the tryanulet! I have enver seen one! perhaps you can help me find one next time around!

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Thanks for stopping by!