| YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER(Dendroica Coronata) |
On this cool, windy, sunny day in April, on the ninth day of the year 2005, the love of my life Mr. Nature photographer and I, his darling wife of 42 years had traveled the five miles from our home to Hardy Lake to do some bird watching. It was a quiet afternoon with just a little bit of sun from time to time, but when it shined, it was so bright it would almost put your eyes out. We had been traveling about ten minutes, when he decided he didn't like the setting on his camera, so we came to a screeching halt kind of like in the road. I could never understand why nature photographers do this, but they do just park in the road. I've noticed a couple of our friends and they all do the same thing. I guess it all boils down to wherever you see a pair of wings, your eyes and brake pedal like to work simultaneously. I told him, "Honey while you're checking out your camera, I think I'll head into those woods by the picnic area, I'll be up there on top of the hill." He waved me on out of the car, never taking his eyes off his camera, and sometimes it makes me think I play second fiddle to that camera. Immediately after jumping out of the car, I heard this sound I had never heard before. I looked up and right above my head through Gods blue skies flew this pair of beautiful birds. They were gray and white looking with a bit of yellow underneath their wings. What can I say? I have never seen anything like it in my life I chased them from limb to limb, from tree to tree, and I never did get a good picture, not even one good shot. Of course any good photographer ( lol) has to blame something, so I guess I’ll just say the sun was too bright or it wasn’t over my shoulder, to the back of me, or something else got my attention, “right, oh yeah”! Those two birds sure were beautiful and a sight I won't soon forget! They finally got tired of me watching them and flew down over the hill. I didn't know that I had chased them right in the direction where Mr. photographer was parked. I lost those two gray and white birds and started chasing two more, they looked like chipping sparrows and then they didn’t look like chipping sparrows, if you know what I mean?????? So many birds look so much alike, we are just new photographers, so when we get a good picture, we have to come home and pull out the old bird book. Meantime~~~~~~down over the hill in the parked car! Two beautiful grey and white birds with just a little yellow flew right into the tree that my love was parked under, still sitting in the road, of course! We forget time, space and eternity rides the waves of time while we bird watch. It is just so much fun to find new birds and see what they actually look like once you get those darlings home and down loaded. These two gray birds just kept getting closer and closer, he said he could almost reach out and touch them. He was so interested in the beauty of the moment, he forgot that he was sitting in the road. He looked up just in time to see the Game Warden come patrolling down the hill. That game warden stopped and looked over at one of the most beautiful men in the whole wide world and said, "Sir, are you having trouble"? Honey said, "no, I'm just sitting here bird watching"! Then the game warden said, "Please get out of the middle of the road"! Well, needless to say, My honey had to leave those beautiful birds just sitting there watching him get out of the middle of the road. They were probably taking his picture mentally and saying, "ha ha, the last laugh is on you Mr. Camera Man". Who knows what birds think about? I think that nature photographers should have a special red light on their vehicles don't you? I think we should have the right to get special permits to park anywhere and everywhere we want to, especially if there's a bird looking us right square in the face. (Now don't get carried away I am only joking) Well when honey found me on top the hill, I had already found a husband and wife Northern Flicker tearing a tree down bark by bark. It's just to bad I didn't get a picture, but the sun was right in my face. I have the right to blame something, you know, like the 20 pound catfish that got away. I also chased a black bird, a black crow and two sparrows. What a day we had, and that only took two hours! LOLOLOL Story by: Mary Alice Bowles: Freelance writer Southern Indiana |
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| Length: 4.75 inches Small, active bird Bright yellow rump Thin, pointed bill-but sturdier and thicker than most warblers White spots in tail |
| This image was taken by me after about a week of chasing these birds! Wow, but how exciting!!!!! |
