Apparently I'm some kind of nut
June 4th, 2009
I went down to Old Quarry Trail in Kanata early yesterday morning, in search of a warbler that I know breeds there: Common Yellowthroat.
Common Yellowthroats are beautiful little birds with bright yellow throats and black, domino-shaped patches around their eyes. They're bashful skulkers of marshes and wet meadows. It's easy to hear Yellowthroats singing--a loud, cheerful "witchety witchety witchety" that can go on for hours--but hard to get one to actually come out into the open.
I found a male in a wet grassy patch of land, hopping around in trees and bushes and singing. Since he's what I came for, I gamely waded my way into the grass after him...
And spent nearly an hour trying to photograph that damn bird. It went the way it usually does. As soon as I startled him (which didn't take much), he darted away, then about fifteen seconds later, I heard "witchety witchety witchety" emanating from some other thick shrubbery or (if I was lucky) a small tree. Follow, startle, repeat. And so we both went around in circles, me snapping shots anytime he showed his face.
The grass was very tall and very wet. My jeans and sneakers both soaked through to the skin in 8C. And when all was said and done, I had not a single picture that I'm willing to share: nothing that is not of such poor quality that it would be downright libelous to post it. No. Common Yellowthroats deserve better. Even if they do drive me crazy.
I will be trying again.
June 4th, 2009
I went down to Old Quarry Trail in Kanata early yesterday morning, in search of a warbler that I know breeds there: Common Yellowthroat.
Common Yellowthroats are beautiful little birds with bright yellow throats and black, domino-shaped patches around their eyes. They're bashful skulkers of marshes and wet meadows. It's easy to hear Yellowthroats singing--a loud, cheerful "witchety witchety witchety" that can go on for hours--but hard to get one to actually come out into the open.
I found a male in a wet grassy patch of land, hopping around in trees and bushes and singing. Since he's what I came for, I gamely waded my way into the grass after him...
And spent nearly an hour trying to photograph that damn bird. It went the way it usually does. As soon as I startled him (which didn't take much), he darted away, then about fifteen seconds later, I heard "witchety witchety witchety" emanating from some other thick shrubbery or (if I was lucky) a small tree. Follow, startle, repeat. And so we both went around in circles, me snapping shots anytime he showed his face.
The grass was very tall and very wet. My jeans and sneakers both soaked through to the skin in 8C. And when all was said and done, I had not a single picture that I'm willing to share: nothing that is not of such poor quality that it would be downright libelous to post it. No. Common Yellowthroats deserve better. Even if they do drive me crazy.
I will be trying again.
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