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Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Blackburnian Warbler - Birding Made Easy

This is a Blackburnian Warbler. It's not uncommon here in the summer, but I have never happened to see one, until yesterday morning. I get to add this to my bird species tally. It was made very easy for me; it flew into my house. Well, not exactly. I was getting dressed, progressing from my bathrobe to my underwear when David yelled from the kitchen, "A bird just hit the window!" Striking the kitchen window, it landed on the inside of a stockade fence that surrounds our propane tanks. Wearing my bra and panties, I trotted out into the rain to conduct the rescue. Trotting does not come naturally to me as I am an obese, short, middle aged woman. My last shreds of dignity are compromised by trotting, but anything for the birds! I couldn't quite reach the bird over the backside of the fence and was hopping up and down to try to get to it. From the kitchen window, David was watching his wife hopping in the rain in her underwear in the yard, when someone pulled into the driveway on the other side of the house. "Oh shit!" yelled she, abandoned the stunned bird and full-on sprinted to the back door. I made it back to the security of my bathrobe just in time to greet the visitor at the front door. David had grabbed the warbler and put it in a margarine tub in the dining room. While trying to seem cool, as if nothing what so ever was going on, we chatted with our unexpected guest. After she left, I went to see about the warbler at hand, but it was no longer in the margarine tub! Rather, it was flying wildly around the dining room crapping happily on the table, the china, the chandelier, etc. In my car, I carry a butterfly net. I got it for 99 cents at Reny's. At the time, David asked why I was carrying around a butterfly net in the car and I said, "Because, you just never know!" Armored in my bathrobe with the net, I was able to quickly and gently capture the darling little bird and release it. Dignity restored, I thought about getting dressed.



Crapping in my grandmother's fine, Miessen egg cup. That figures!

5 comments:

  1. It is absolutely -- repeat, absolutely -- imperative that you teach David how to shoot photographs. We want no more of these blogs about you galloping around you yard in your bra and panties without appropriate "artwork." Goodness, that is an image that I am having extreme difficulty in visualizing -- without breaking up into peals of laughter. Photographs of such scenes are absolutely necessary.

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  2. Beautiful little bird, beautiful china and a great story.

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  3. Now THAT is one funny story! We saw our first Blackburnian Warbler just a few weeks ago at the Blagden Preserve on Mount Desert Island while on a walk with the Acadia Birding Festival. Beautiful bird and beautiful job saving it!

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  4. Thanks for the laugh Robin! Glad to hear the Warbler is fine.

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  5. Wonderful photography and wonderful stories..... I can see you running around I your bra and pants... you silly woman you.... hardly obese... mature is a better word!!

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