Birder for a Day

A flock of 15 or so gathers along the edges of a tiny, manmade lake. They hoist binoculars as their mostly graying heads tip alternately skyward or groundward depending on the object of consideration. The lake is not the focus of attention as the water fowl taking off, landing, swimming, and squawking are Canada Geese. Their droppings along the grass upslope of the bank are a testament to their numerous and frequent presence. The shrubs and underbrush planted in a 10-20 foot swath of vegetated buffer along the lake is a primary area of interest. Song swallows, juncos, and the twitchy ruby crested kinglet dance in the mid-size alders. A couple of swamp sparrows keep low in the dense underbrush, their rusty wings flashing between tangles of low branches and briars. We see a pair of cardinals, bluebirds, plenty of crows, and a mourning dove. Pine warblers with bright throats the color of young pine needle clusters work the upper branches of a series of pines, canvassing for remaining cones. We pause to listen to the chatter of towhees, faintly reminiscent of squawking ducks. There is a lot of other background chatter, some recognizable, most not. After scanning so intently, the shift to focus on sound is an interesting contrast. We can hear more activity than we can see. How often do we stop to listen? Nuthatches, red and white breasted, a brown creeper, a golden crested kinglet, and more than a few chickadees and tufted titmice graze along pine and oak branches. The red breasted nuthatch is a bit of a celebrity this warming morning as they’re here in greater numbers than usual this year. A Downey woodpecker moves slowly in the upper canopy of a leafless tree.

There is a bit of the hunt that likely spurs on most bird watchers. The competing urges to follow one bird from branch to branch or tree to tree, to canvass a broader range of habitat, or to stay in place and patiently wait for the action. Some capture through photo, most through their lists. A few others seem content with the privilege of peering into the lives of birds, to marvel at their movements, their forms and colors along limbs. We often think of birds as perched on branches, flying through the air. Upon closer inspection, each species moves a little differently in the trees, the motion of each individual bird unpredictable. Will he or she remain on the back side of that branch or come around? Stay on the tree for a minute or two seconds? A hawk, likely red shouldered, is heard and not seen. Another, spotted later, circles above the lake.

In a couple hours, in a small section of piney woods and lake edge we saw and heard more than I might have guessed. We gathered to watch for the national backyard bird count organized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Our list and the lists of others will provide ornithologists with a nationwide snapshot of who is flying around at a particular time of year. The walking in the woods, the exchange of knowledge and anecdotes, and the attention to the sight and sound of birds of is of even greater benefit to the flocks of birders across the country this weekend.