Good morning VAbirders,
Last night about 8:00 I was sitting in the parking lot of Waples Mill
Elementary School on Waples Mill Road in Fairfax (waiting for my daughter
who was in painting class) when I heard a trill amidst the Grackle
chatter. Intrigued, I dug out my old Nikons from under my truck seat and
started looking for the source of the trill. ("Gees, how did I ever use
these things?!!")
The trill moved away from me, so I followed. I still hadn't seen any
movement and was beginning to wonder if I was following an insect when I
saw a small bird. I fumbled with the Nikons and missed it and fussed out
loud at myself. Humph! Then, there was the bird on the ground, a Chipping
Sparrow. Surprised, I chastised myself for not knowing its trill right
away. Then I realized why. I made the mistake of assuming Chipping
sparrows were gone because they've been gone from my garden for a couple
weeks. For a birder like myself who birds on the road, "outside her
element" quite often, this was a silly assumption. I should have known
better. Now I do!
A little later a Common Nighthawk flew low overhead and THAT I knew right
away. Thank goodness!
Lori Markoff
Vienna
Fairfax County
canyon.eagle@xxxxxxxxxxx
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