[EBB Sightings] bird activity soaring

A quick, equipment-free hike along the Huckleberry
loop yesterday afternoon brought me a plethora of fine
natural history sightings. Because of the threatening
rain, I brought neither binocs nor camera, and lived
to regret it.

The golden eagles have been a constant presence
recently over Sibley way. I pointed one out to a pair
of newbie hikers, who did manage to bring binocs
along...they looked at me incredulously when I pointed
out a "tiny only thru distance" soaring black form
across the canyon and proclaimed it to be an eagle.
When it tucked its wings and did a showy "torpedo
drop," my binoc-free ID was confirmed, at least in my
own mind.

Taking advantage of a break in the weather and the
remaining daylight, I was surrounded by a chattering,
flicking, buzzing and feeding flock of passerines.
Heartbreakingly beautiful, blazing orange Rufous
hummingbirds buzzed and fought and postured in the
canyonside shrubbery. A breeding plumaged Townsend's
warbler flicked from branch to branch, and a
hyper-active RC Kinglet made his presence known.
Ravens croaked and practised their aerodynamic moves,
tumbling gracefully thru the air, keeping nimble for
future mischevious eagle encounters. Wrentits sang
their staccatto songs, and flickers and hairy
woodpeckers proclaimed their territories. Even the
Stellar's jays were a sight for sore eyes in their
strikingly blue, fresh breeding plumage; bad boyz
dressed in finery. 

Although my mushroom season is coming to a close, I
had the rare and cryptic pleasure of running into a
bryologist along the trail, and he pointed out a
couple of new to me curious species of hornwort, a
primitive plant, which were thriving in pockets along
a mossy, rocky slope. We happily knelt in the muddy
trail together, exchanging information on bryophytes
and fungi, while the birds and bees and other
flower-attracted insects animated the air above us. 

Sometimes, ya just gotta look down, too.

Life is good, and plentiful, and wonders await us all.

Debbie Viess