Tag Archive for 'Anna’s Hummingbird'

It was with much trepidation and excitement that I picked up Guido Berguido, of Advantage Tours Panama, early in the morning to take him birding in Discovery Park. Excitement and pleasure to be able to share the park that I love with a fellow birder. Trepidation of showing a birdwatcher from the tropics the best of the winter Pacific Northwest. How would our paltry number of brown birds compare to the brilliant diversity and rainbow of colors available in his own country?
The day dawned bright, cold, and clear as the sun made a rare November appearance. Not a moment after we stepped out of the car, a Pileated Woodpecker swooped over our heads. A very good sign indeed. Strapping on binocular, we slowly made our way along the trail toward the old alder grove in the south end of the park. Guido had expressed a desire to see a Varied Thrush and the hunt was on. The thrush’s monotone whistle echoed through the forests, but they were nowhere to be seen. As we waited for them to make an appearance, a Sharp-shinned Hawk flew through the bare branches and alighted next to ANOTHER Pileated Woodpecker. As I was feebly trying to explain that sightings of these large woodpeckers are very rare, the hawk began harassing and chasing the Pileated around the tree trunks. The small male was dwarfed by the magnificent black and white woodpecker, but did not hesitate to chase and harangue the annoyed bird. Once again, the whistle of the thrush called us back to our goal.

As we sought visual contact with this iconic Northwest species, we were distracted yet again by two Brown Creepers dancing on the trunks of nearby Bigleaf Maples. Their high, thin calls added to the morning chorus. They paused, posed, and jigged about on the old bark reminding Guido of birds of home. Moments of enjoyment were interrupted yet again with the invitation from the Varied Thrush – come see us, we’re hidden over here!

Walking along the edge of the old forests, a flash of movement caught my eye – Guido! Here you go! A stunning male Varied Thrush jumped up to an eye level branch, frozen in a pool of bright sun. His deep orange and black shone brilliantly in the thin sunshine. A moment later he was joined by a female posing with her muted shades of rich color. After long looks and muttered joy, Guido turned and with a huge smile gave me a high five. This was the satisfaction of a six-year search coming to an end.

Relieved and energized, we continued on our exploration of the park, enjoying the white flashes of a flock of Dark-eyed Juncos, the ticking of a Fox Sparrow, and the scolding of a Bewick’s Wren. The cat call of a Spotted Towhee brought us to a halt. As we watched, the male worked his way to the top of a bramble. Turning this way and that to show off his rufous, black-and-white plumage in the brilliant light. WOW! Guido was stunned by the shimmering orange/red of the towhee’s eye. Nice to know there is a little bit of color in our dark northwest.

Guido continued to heap praise upon the showing of birds as we crested the hill overlooking the meadow. The brisk wind easily cut through his tropical clothing, but his mind was not on the cold – rather it was on the magnificent Bald Eagle soaring overhead. An adult hanging gracefully in the wind over the bluff. Soon the eagle was joined by a Red-tailed Hawk laying motionless in the air. Full lift from the wind held the raptors aloft as long as we needed to drink in every detail.

Finally I surrendered to the cold and led Guido to the northern forest in the shelter of the trees. Our arrival was greeted by the “mouse of the forest,” the Pacific Wren. Again, its skulking attitude reminded Guido of tough birds to see in Panama. Soon we were surrounded by a large mixed feeding flock. Tiny feathered bodies flitted about the trees giving us a variety of views of the warm rufous of the Chestnut-backed Chickadee, the stunning crowns of the Golden-crowned Kinglets, a red flash from the Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and the joy of listening to the incessant dee, dee, dee of the Black-capped Chickadees. We only stopped craning our necks long enough to look at yet a THIRD Pileated Woodpecker hammering away at a nearby snag.

The morning was wearing down as we strolled through the gold of the fallen maple leaves. We remembered with joy the pink of the Anna’s Hummingbird’s gorget, the orange of the Spotted Towhees eye, and the excitement of seeing floating raptors, hammering woodpeckers and best of all – the stunning Varied Thrush. Trepidation had been replaced with gratitude for the wealth the Northwest has to offer, even for birders from the tropics.