A Good Mistake

Cliff Swallows

Although, thanks to one of the county's finest birders, we know where to find and count Cliff Swallows each year, photographing them is a whole 'nother ball game. The place where they are known to nest is on a scary busy road. Stopping to point the camera can be life threatening.

And then...

The other day I rode up to L J Hands with the boss to get some paint to mark the wood pile at his cousin's house. Someone is pilfering when no one is there so.....

On the wire in front of the store were five swallows. A quick glance marked them as Barn Swallows, another species of which I had no photos....point, click, and then off to look and listen for other interesting birds to make a short list while the boss got his paint.

There was even a Wild Turkey crossing the road next to the parking lot....really you can bird anywhere......

Imagine my surprise when I took the photos off the camera a couple of days later and found that four of the five birds were indeed Cliff Swallows. Score!

Immature Barn Swallow...short tail with fleshy gape still visible at the corner of the beak

Mi Vida NOCA

I know, I know, it's Mi Vida Loca. But since we sold the cows and our world contracted to a microcosm of its former self, I have kept myself entertained with birds...as you have no doubt noticed....

So for me it has become mi vida NOCA, the latter being the four digit code for Northern Cardinal. BTW I am learning this code for listing because it is a lot quicker to write RWBL than it is to scribble Red-winged Blackbird. I keep hoping the FBI will snoop on one of my lists and think I am a super spy.

It's fun and it gets me and the boss out of the house. He likes to tool around town to see who has a nice barn, who bought a new tractor, whose rows are straight and whose are curly.

I like to find ticks for my lists.

It's kinda loca, but it works for us.

Anyhow, yesterday in the midst of cold howling wind, he needed to go over to Fonda to get a gallon of milk. He asked if I wanted to go down to the boat launch. Since we had seen Green-winged Teal there the day before and listed them on eBird, I agreed despite the nasty weather. GWTE are among my favorite ducks right up there with Ruddy Ducks and Northern Pintails. When the sun hits those green heads there isn't a thing in Oz to compare.

As we arrived another gentleman did too. He was tall and well dressed and sported good binoculars. Ooohhh, a birder! I have only ever met one other birder in our travels, up at Montezuma a while back.

I so wanted to go over and chat, but just couldn't (see introvert, shy, etc.)

Next he took a huge spotting scope out of his car, put it on a tripod, and began scanning the hundreds of geese, scattering of assorted ducks, crows, RWBLs etc. I was consumed with curiosity.

Then he began to fold everything up to leave...and came over to talk to us!

He had come because someone had reported Green-winged Teal there. Maybe it was even my eBird report that sent him down to the confluence of the Schoharie and the Mohawk.

Anyhow, we chatted for a minute or two about the birds there and about Iceland Gulls, which are seen around here now and then, and which I think I may have seen, and then he was on his way. A couple of Bald Eagles sailed by as if in celebration.

It was a little on the loca side, but super cool as well. You simply never know when serendipity will send you a special moment in your wonderful, amazing, and frequently crazy life.