Morning
As I opened the garage door this morning I remembered that I didn’t have the camera, which I had planned to bring with me every day. No matter. Once I got to Forest Park, I was going to take the short way to the office. Ha! On the way in, I came face to face with the most gorgeous immature Red-tailed Hawk I had ever seen—on a low bare branch in a pine tree just 20 feet in front of me.
OK, I told myself, just take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy the moment (advice from a birder wiser than I am). So, I took in the sight: rusty buff breast feathers above the deep black belly band, orange head… Beautiful bird and a good moment (I still wish I’d had the camera). The hawk seemed fearless—good for watching but not good for it.
Afternoon
The heat was vile, but I decided that 10 additional minutes of exposure wouldn’t kill me (and might even make me stronger!), so I took the path around the river on my way to the car. Something was calling, a nasal vocalization that sounded familiar but that I couldn’t place. And then, right in front of me, a female Red-breasted Nuthatch. She was foraging on a limb a few feet away. I watched her for several minutes during which I heard calls that didn’t seem to be coming from her—two birds or was I simply not pin-pointing the sound accurately?
She flew, and as I was trying to find her I spotted an adult male Orchard Oriole feeding one of his adult-sized young.
A good day to take the long way back. And tomorrow I’ll have the camera.