The Kingsguard

They warned me about the forests.  They told me that there would be elves and trolls hiding in these Jack Pine forests. 

The ominous "They" warned us.  And we took it under advisement. We studied maps of the area.  We even met up with other woodsmen from the forest. 

It was a gray and overcast day.  A storm was rolling into the area.  Alone with nowhere to run, we stood along the moderate growth of the Jack Pine forest. 

As we stood along the forest's edge, we heard the rare bird call. The King warned us that if we trespassed, we'd be tried and hanged.  So we stayed on the road.  Just then, a cute little elf came from the forests appearing out of nowhere. "Can I help you fine people?", he said as he looked into my eyes. In my mind I could hear him whisper, Welcome Chris of the Shire! Could anyone else hear him??!!! He was a good looking elf. The kind you might find in a place known as the Big Apple. Not the ugly kind you read about in books. But this handsome silky haired elf worked for the King! 

The weather fronts meet causing a great storm

I tried to straighten out my hair and look at least respectable but I had to contain my bird nest within my hat. I was after all a simple peasant. We told the elf that we searched for the great Kirtland's Warbler.  He responded that there was no such creature in these forests and that we were to turn back now or forever suffer the King's wrath.  When did elves work for the King?  And to impress upon us the severity of his words, he made a signal to the Forest. An Elvish warrior princess suddenly appeared by the name of Pandothiel. She must have held some dark magic enchantment spells because most of the birders in our group were in a trance. But it didn't seem to work on Gordon or myself. It did work on Tommy.  She got Tommy! And then she coerced our Band of Birders to give her personal information.  She threatened to report us to the King if we returned. Gordon, our wizard, commanded the storms to cause chaos and break the enchantment that Tommy suffered by Pandothiel.  Lightning and rain hit us all with a great tenacity.  And forever our Band of Birders was split apart. We never saw them again. 

The Great Wizard, Gordon, was tired and exhausted. Enhancing the power of a storm was no easy feat. We found a modest inn that would allow us to sleep and reorganize our efforts for this rare bird.

The bird gods were ever watching over us.  So we ate some fancy sweets blessed by the plumed serpent. Our night's rest would be challenged by strange ladies coming and going at night.  A man several doors from us seemed to know them all. I shut our curtains to keep the nightmares away. We should have maybe paid with a little more coin for a fancier inn, but it was what it was. During the early morning hours, we found female hair in the parking lot. Hastily, we left the area. 

We never gave up hope, but we did avoid the Kingsguard this time around during our search for this rare bird.  We drove with our carriage windows down.  And then........

Kirtland's Warbler

.....the bird gods granted us a wonderful gift.  A singing Kirtland's Warbler on top of a pine tree. It was like finding the Holy Grail.  We located the bird in a different location several kilometers away.  In the distance, we saw white horses coming towards us and we knew we had to leave or be hung for our crimes.  Even though we didn't commit any.  The King was an unforgiving man. 

The Kirtland's Warbler is a sacred bird for many. In fact, it is the sigil of His Grace.  In our minds, we heard the Warbler yell, "RUN YOU FOOLS!"

Note the banding

Others have told their tale.  For example, one of the Birders Without Banners, Tommy, tells a tale about marriage to the female Elvish warrior.  It's a true love story about how Pandothiel caught him returning to the King's Lands trying to find the warbler.  She threw him in the cell block and he became her slave but I'll let you read his tale.  I think it reads something like, 50 Shades of Kirtland:)

The Warbler chart

In all seriousness, never have I seen a bird so protected as the Kirtland's Warbler.  It was one of the two very important birds we needed to find in Wisconsin.  Five months of planning went into this bird. It was/is a very protected bird that is slowly making a comeback.  It's also the trickiest bird we had to find.  Back in Arizona, Gordon sent me some intel which allowed me to make some personal calls.  Most of them would lead to dead ends, but one person helped me understand the habitat of this warbler well.  I took notes and did the research. It would have been easier to go to Grayling, Michigan for the tour.   But I am tired of tours and to be quite honest, I'm not really a big fan of tour groups.  They told us it would be challenging to try and find the bird in Wisconsin.  And they were right.  Everyone was mum on this rare bird. With a lot of bird experience now, we could do this on our own.  Plus Wisconsin is my home state.  I wanted the bird on my Wisconsin list.  If you ebird and find the bird, there is a general hotspot for the Kirtland's Warbler in Adams County.  The Wisconsin DNR is strict so be careful where you go.  I cannot share anything more specific than what I've written.  They took down our personal information and it was interesting how much energy went into protecting this bird.  And I'm very glad they do.  Not all birders are responsible and the DNR doesn't play around with anyone.  Good on them.  Anyhow, hope you enjoyed this tale.  For more information on finding the Kirtland's Warbler(and other birds) in Wisconsin, click on this useful link (thanks to Magill Weber). Below is the shaky video I took of the bird. Stay tuned for more....