Tweets,
Two or three weeks ago amongst the largest mixed flock of migrants I've seen
all season, one warbler caught my eye due to its particularly high activity
level. You know, the one that flits away the moment you get the binocs on
it. In one painfully brief and obstructed view I observed off-white
underparts and tail-fanning behavior as it perched near the end of a branch.
I thought "redstart" and the adrenalin began to pump. I kept searching for
the perpetual motion guy but it always turned out to be a Black-th Gray
Warbler. I had never associated tail-fanning with this species. Is this
unusual?
I resonate with Bill Clemons' recent observation: "We go out into the field
to get fresh air and have fun birding. We attempt to stand within earshot of
anyone we think knows more than we do. For me that is a lot of folks I try
to get close enough to, to listen and perhaps learn from." The great thing
about Tweeters is that we can learn tons from those who have more knowledge
and experience. And we don't necessarily have to be in the field together,
we can sometimes just throw out a question on the internet. Thank you!
--Paul Hicks
Tenino, s. Thurston Co
phicks AT accessgrace.org