Leisurely Walk

We went for a walk.  I handed my camera to Pat after I took some shots of the Robin's feeding off of the Madrone berries. It was too much.  I just wanted to walk and take it all in.  No camera this time.

American Robin eating the berries from the Madrone Tree

On this particular day, I was with Pat on a nice walk but still hoping to capture that Coati or Juvenile Elegant Trogon reported in the area.   But it was in the early afternoon when one shouldn't bird because of two things.  One.  Birds chill and disappear. Two.  Families with their kids come in droves!  As they should.  But watching birders get angry with the groups of kids and parents can be quite funny....when it's not me who is birding:)

"You know if you were all quiet, you might actually see some deer!" said the British birder lady loudly to the kids and their parents.  The liquor smelling father retorted, "Yeah, I'm sure that's it."  I stood with Pat watching the interaction going on.  The couple were trying to find the Red Naped Sapsucker when the loud family came along and I understood all too well their anger.  After they left, I helped them locate the 3 birds in the area trees.  Personally I was looking for the Lewis Woodpecker reported in the area.  I'm getting good with sounds and quickly ID'ing the birds.  "Nope not that one. Not that one......"

But back to this "Leisurely Walk", I found it anything BUT leisurely.  I couldn't hone in on the bird sounds as it was people loud and that frustrated me.  When it actually was clear, I replicated, crudely, the Elegant Trogon "bark" with my throat. Pat actually had a laugh at this.  I'm learning bird and I'm serious about it!

This cell phone has made a huge difference for me on the trails!  Bird ID, Bird Sounds, Rare Bird Alerts, Messaging with other birders, GPS tracker, directions......well you get my point. 

After I realized I wasn't going to get any decent shots, I handed my camera over to Pat and I felt the weight off of my shoulders.  I sat in the rocker provided by the creek and got my internet connection  back to check the Rare Bird Alert for the area.  It was actually nice having Pat snap the shots.  I sat and watched the deer get close to us and just enjoyed relaxing after a walk.  But even better, I watched Pat get excited about using the camera to get those shots and practice that steady hand on manual. Maybe, just maybe, I'll pass that shutter bug thing on and we can be a dynamic duo in search of awesome wildlife:) But until then, I'll get my butt up early and go on my searches before the evil little children and their not so sober parents head out to the trails:) BUT, we had a nice walk together and I can't complain.  Afterall, while in my rocker, the deer came out and walked right next to us.  That's the magic of knowing the forest:)   Every outing has merit.  It might not always be new, but it's always something special. The British woman was right:)  More tomorrow...