Humility from birding and No Boulder Worm-eating warbler found

[ronbco]

Yesterday afternoon I went to look for the warbler as it would be a lifer for me.

I found the markers noted in the previous postings and I even found one of it's reported buddy hermit thrushes. But alas the target itself was not found.

As I was walking away I reflected on how birding can be humbling. At one point I had seen a small bird hoping on the ground and put my bins up to study. While staring I slipped on the mud underneath me and hit the deck. It would have made a great video...I was just standing still one moment and the next moment arms and legs flying to try to catch myself. Only my pride was injured. Then a couple minutes later I see another small hopping movement but all I could make out was a big eye. Maybe an Ovenbird! I move to get a better view and re-spot it. It was that wonderful species called rabbit!

Oh well, a humbling hour along Boulder Creek on a beautiful spring day is better than many other hours!

To heal my wounded psyche I stopped by Mustards Last Stand for an Italian and fries.

Ron Bolton

Berthoud

[Jeff Parks]

I went over to campus this afternoon to see if I could find this bird as well, since I haven't seen one before.  I thought it might be a long shot, since it has been a couple of days, but the weather was so nice it seemed that a bike ride was in order.  I walked upstream from the lower footbridge, up to the point where the other footbridge used to be (when did it come down?),  but no sign of the wayward warbler.  I did see a couple of hermit thrushes, so that was good.  A couple of rabbits were hopping around in the grass, munching contentedly.  That spot (where the bird was originally reported) used to be, way back in the day, a tennis court that was flooded in the winter time for people to skate on. I remember skating there as a kid, long before they had indoor rinks.   No sign of the tennis court/skating rink remains, but the fireplace that was in the warming hut still stands.  It is looking a little worse for the wear, but I suspect it could still hold a nice fire.  On the way back, still no sign of the wayward warbler.  The memories that came back were great, though.

Jeff Parks
Boulder, CO

[Deborah Carstensen]

I've spent many humbling hours over the years as I birdwatched , too many to count. My latest was just yesterday as I was trying again to identify a chipping sound I heard only to realize it was a "chip"munk. Doh

   I must say, however, that my favorite  exercise in humility took place on the Rattlesnake Gulch trail in El Dorado Canyon several years ago. I was hiking up the trail by myself and spotted a rattlesnake coiled and sleeping on a rock.  I took pictures of it from afar and would go about three steps closer and take more pictures, three steps closer – pictures, three steps closer – picture. Don't think those were normal steps either! They were the more of the kind where you are slowly putting your foot in front of each other as if you were free to slip on unseen ice. My hands were shaking as I took the pictures.

     I finally realized that something was amiss and got close enough to see that it was, in fact, a bronze statue of a rattlesnake with a huge sign on the other side of the boulder discussing the fact that rattlesnakes could be seen on the trail,etc. I still have those pictures of the ever closer views of the rattlesnake proudly displayed in my picture album!

Deb Carstensen, Littleton, Arapahoe county, Colorado

Sent from my iPhone

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