May 1, 2007

Around mid day an email announcing a Piping Plover on the beach at Headlands. That is a good bird so I will try for it after work even though I have seen it before in the region.

At the lake, the temperature drops rapidly and the wind picks up as I work though the dunes and closer to the water. It is getting increasingly cloudy, a front is coming through. The bird is not where it was reported. I wander toward the light house, and check the harbor for ducks. A few divers out aways. I’ll give the Plover one more try. Walking back to where it was seen. There is rain over the lake and the northeast wind is making mare’s tails. Curving almost 90 degrees before it reaches the water. I see Anders and Don. Of course Anders has already seen the bird. He sent the email. We spend about half an hour looking but no bird. Coming back though the dunes a Wilson’s Snipe flushes but quickly settles again. It is really quite cold.

At home after dinner I am visiting with a friend when a Warbler hits the window in the living room. Not a hard hit, just enough to get my attention. I can tell it was a warbler by the tail as it flies into the corner by the garage. We go outside to investigate. Sure enough a lovely female Black and White Warbler is clinging to the sandstone facade. She looks tired. The front has probably knocked her down. I catch her. Really just a matter of walking up to her and gently putting my fingers around her. She protests for a second but is quickly calm. The warmth of my hand probably feels good. She closes her eyes and dozes.

I had made fried rice for dinner so we retrieve a little scrambled egg from the rice in the hope the Warbler might eat it. I stoke her breast and belly and she does the relaxed on her back thing, so typical of small passerines in the hand.

She has no interest in the egg, nor in leaving the warmth of my hand. She clings to my finger. I finally manage to get her to move into an arborvitae.

A storm is brewing. The sky is swirling. Interesting patterns of round holes in the clouds and wind shear moving clouds in opposite directions. There is thunder and lightning, just a few drops of rain. 15 minutes later the front passes and things calm down. I took pictures of the sky but not the bird. I guess making sure the bird is OK precludes any interest I might have in getting a picture.