I enjoyed Josh Hayes's story of finally seeing a Townsend's Solitaire.
I'm thinking each of us has had a similar experience with some
oh-so-common species, right? Mine was the Pine Siskin (cue the
laughter). Really, when we lived in San Francisco I was in a birding
group once and admitted I'd never seen one. (They are somewhat common
there too.) Our leader was very kind. We agreed I had probably SEEN them
but just not IDENTIFIED them as such. "It's a really streaky bird."

I studied my field guides and kept looking. Then, while visiting my
brother on the east side of the Sierra, I noticed a flock of intriguing
little birds feeding on his deck. Very streaky, with yellow on the
wings. Could it be? Yes! Pine Siskins!

Now, as I watch the droves of them in our yard -- fourteen squabbling
over the thistle sock, more on the ground, festooned on the native sedge
seedheads, camped out on the sunflower seeds, bounding on the bamboo
tips -- it's hard to recall the time they were a maddeningly elusive new
species for my list.

Good birding,
Kristi Hein

Anacortes

khc
at
picturesandwords.com