Uncertain Identity
I am blessed to have a nice yard with our home being
on a five-acre lot outside the city limits and lights and traffic. Add to that the fact that we have an 80-acre
nature conservancy adjoining the back lot line. There are ponds and wetlands, fields and
woodlots all close by. It is a haven for
many types of birds. So naturally, a favorite pastime during these pleasant days is sitting out on the patio watching and listening for the many
kinds of birds that hang around my backyard, or pass overhead and trying to
identify them. My Peterson’s Field
Guide to the Birds of North America is always close at hand.
Sometimes I recognize their distinct calls. A couple of my favorites are cardinals and
orioles. The cardinals are dependable,
consistent and simple with just a couple of notes. The oriole’s song is complex and only heard
occasionally, and so it is always a special treat. Sometimes their unique plumage gives them
away. A couple of my favorites are
goldfinches and indigo buntings. Their
colors are bright and bold even though both birds are just a few ounces in
weight. And sometimes it is the way they
fly that gives them away. A couple of my
favorites are hummingbirds, especially as they chase each other around the
yard, and the many raptors that ride the thermals, effortlessly turning circles
overhead.
Still, there are situations like the other day when
Michelle looked out the kitchen window, pointed toward one of the linden trees
and asked, “What kind of bird is that?”
He was predominately yellow – striking but a little more subtle than the
goldfinch. There was also a patch of
white and some rusty brown. He was
bigger than a finch but smaller than a redwing, or at least scaled more
slightly. The bird’s bill and overall
outline suggested some sort of warbler to me, but warblers are not my area of
expertise, so to Mr. Peterson I went.
The problem with birds is that they seldom sit still long enough to gather all the telltale facts needed for a positive identification. Was that spot of white on the belly or on the wing? Was that bit of rust color on the wing, or along the side? They also have a habit of concealing a good deal of themselves behind branch and leaf. And, of course, there are the birds that fly in and out at low-light conditions of dawn and dusk that make firm coloring identification difficult at best.
The problem with the field guide is that it
is limited when it comes to a family group as large and varied as
warblers. It offers a handful of
suggestions but then just row after row of mugshot-like drawings of heads only
and the associated names. Without a view
of the full body, there isn’t enough information to make a match, at least for me. So, it turned out to be another time when we
laid dubious claim to having “discovered” a new bird. It's kind of a humorous way to admit that
neither of us has any real idea as to what that bird really was. I also appreciate that drops us from contention of ever
being considered serious ‘birders’, but I am fine with that.
I must admit that, although we chuckle about how many
birds we have “discovered” through the years, it’s always a little
unsatisfying. It somehow seems important
to know the bird’s true identity. It
obviously doesn’t matter to the bird, or he’d have sat there long enough for me
to be certain of his coloring. But it
matters to me. I wonder why?
"Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge." Matthew 10:29
His Peace <><
Deacon Dan
Photo by Tyler Jamieson Moulton on Unsplash
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