Another chance

Bolt graduates this week. Since I don’t know how much birding I’ll get to do once he’s gone, I’ve been hoping that we would have another chance to go this week. This morning, my wish was fulfilled.

The weather was perfect, he said. We would keep in touch. At ten, the IM came: “Let’s blow this joint.” I grabbed my tennis shoes and binoculars and ran down the stairs to meet him in the Thomas lobby.

I was pleased to discover that we were going back to the iron bridge road. I love that place.

We heard many Painted Buntings throughout the day. I even caught a few fleeting glimpses of their bright colors as they dashed across the road. Nothing more though. I can’t wait to REALLY see one. I look at their pictures all the time. Someday…

After hearing its funny sounds for a while, we finally saw a Chat. I liked it just as much as I had liked its songs the week before.

When we got to the bridge, I saw a black and white bird soaring past. Later, Bolt spotted an Osprey sitting in a tree. It looked like the bird I had seen earlier. Egrets were also plentiful.

Past the bridge, we saw several warblers. We found two Blackpoll Warblers. They didn’t boast any of the bright colors that I’ve come to associate with warblers, but they were striking black and white little birds. We also saw a Tennessee Warbler and a Yellow-throated Warbler.

A small clearing granted us a nice, long look at a White-eyed Vireo. Sensitive Brier sprawled out on the ground, and we bent down and stroked its fern-like leaves.

Bolt had an exit interview at one, so we were forced to turn reluctantly around. We got distracted several times on the way back, but eventually, the real world’s pull became so strong that we had to pick up our pace and ignore the songs all around us.

The interview was cancelled. We could have seen more birds.