Monthly Archive for May, 2010

Ramblin’ Rose’s First Adventure

Published on May 20, 2010 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

Yes! I’ve done it! Oh no what have I done!? Sitting on the side of I-90 stranded with a broken transmission, I realized my decision to launch a new birding business is not looking very good – in fact it is feeling pretty dismal.

For years I have shared my passion for birds and birding by teaching classes and leading tours as a naturalist at Discovery Park. Recently the City of Seattle Park’s Department reorganized the education staff into teams. The team I was assigned focuses on school students from kindergarten to grade 12. No longer will I be providing classes and tours to adults and members of the general public. Many wonderful Discovery Park constituents and members of the public with whom I had shared countless birding experiences had pushed, urged, literally kicked me into starting my own bird touring business. Thus Ramblin’ Rose Birding Adventures was born.

The emotional swings of creating a small business have been wild. But I had successfully filled the first adventure with clients, and now Scott and I were supposed to be winging our way to Eastern Washington for a fam trip. An opportunity to check routes, locate birds, ensure that my first adventure would go smoothly.

But the brand new transmission in my Nissan Pathfinder had other ideas. While winding up I-90 toward Snoqualimie Pass, a shudder and a plume of white smoke suggested an early end to our outing.

Frustrated, angry and impatient while waiting for a long-delayed tow truck, I paced the side of the highway. Scott calmly attempted to console me. But I was having none of it – until… Why, yes! That was a Red-winged Crossbill flying across six lanes of traffic. The unmistakable sound of its turn signal call note drifted down over the din of traffic. Readjusting my attitude and focus, I began fighting through the chaotic noise and rush of traffic to pick up any sounds and sights of life on this freeway.

High above, floating against the green backdrop of the Cascade Mountains was a lonely Raven. Its glossy black wings shimmering in the spring sun. Can it be? – yes, it is the distinct Ziiiiiiiiip of Pine Siskens flocking and feeding amongst the Red Alders. And there just beyond the shoulder near the edge of the evergreen forest were a pair of Robins feeding. They seemed unconcerned and oblivious to the rush of civilization pouring past their habitat.

Scott and I celebrated the joy of discovering life – bird life – in the midst of noise, chaos and car trouble. Perhaps we wouldn’t make the family trip today, but the birds would be there awaiting the arrival of the first Ramblin’ Rose Birding Adventure.

Birding Memories

Published on May 4, 2010 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

I have been birding A LOT lately – every free day has been filled with trips to remarkable and amazing places filled with spectacular species. But with so much birding activity the memories has become soft like the fading of an old favorite photograph. Looking back through an opaque glass of my memories certain moments stand out clearly as if they were still happening today. The magic of discovering a sleeping Merlin in Othello, the joy of witnessing Wilson Snipes in a competing aerial display, and the agony of watching a Killdeer lure us away from her nest with the broken wing display. These birding jewels punctuate the mind but unexpected moments stand out clearly.

Dawn at Lower Crab Creek the air is filled with the calls of multiples skeins of geese and flocks of Sandhill Cranes flying into a nearby field. The soft light of the morning catches a spring wonder, a slice into a spectacular centuries old tradition – the cranes are dancing! These enormous birds leap into the air, flapping their wings, and waggling their bustles, sealing the bonds that will keep them together through the nesting season.

Driving through the sun drenched Yakima Canyon on the way to Fort Simcoe a client calls from the back seat Big! White! Tall! Big and White! – stammering her way through a description that fails her. I quickly pull off the road only to discover a group of American White Pelicans standing in the low water of the Yakima River. They are stunning in purest white with brilliant orange and yellow on their faces – full breeding plumage. These enormous birds contrast sharply with the rugged basalt canyon walls – seemingly out of place yet comfortable in their stark beauty. I am momentarily distracted from the spectacle by a memory of a Golden Eagle nest. Using the spotting scope I scan the cliff faces to see if the eagles are still in residence and am startled and overjoyed to see several small family groups of Big Horn Sheep. We all delight in the antics of the tiny newborn sheep. Death defying wobbles on the sheer cliffs keep us holding our breaths.

Scanning a flooded field north of Toppenish National Wildlife Refuge with our spotting scope we are surprised to see a Greater Yellowlegs lying down on the edge of a small island. Such a tall shore bird in deep repose with its distinctive legs tucked underneath its body is somewhat unusual. But not for long, an oblivious drake Mallard wanders in the Yellowleg’s direction and practically steps on the resting bird. Both look extremely startled when the collision occurs. The Yellowlegs too, too, toos away, while the Mallard continues to waddle on its own merry way.

Gathered together with a group of neighbors and friends we birded the Ballard Locks on an early Sunday morning. The birds were much to be expected with gleaming Barrow’s Goldeneye, and Double-crested Cormorants sporting crests and emerald green eyes glowing in the orange/yellow faces, but once we arrived at the Great Blue Heron rookery things took a turn for the exciting. While admiring the stately plumed grace of a heron adding a limb to its nest someone cried Wren! Nesting! Sure enough a pair of Bewick’s Wrens were constructing a nest less than ten feet away from the trail. And what a nest, it was! Two feet deep, less than three feet above the ground with a vast amount of nesting material packed behind the loose bark of an alder tree.

At first glance it had the appearance of a Brown Creeper Nest on steroids. The male and female worked diligently and failed to take note of the large group of birders admiring their work, nor the raccoon who ambled past. Now we were torn between heron and wren watching till another cry went up in the group. Turning we were amazed to see a pair of Black-capped Chickadees excavating a nest hole less that a foot away from the trail. But it wasn’t just the closeness that was so remarkable but the tree they had chosen. This snag was less that four inches around – I could have easily encircled it with both hands overlapping. Surely they weren’t going to nest there!? But excavate they did, with all the seriousness this ludicrous site could afford them.

All together each and every bird trip was an engaging wonderful experience but the unexpected will stand out in memories for years to come.