Friday, Dec. 26th, however, was another story. We woke up, albeit a little late, to a glorious sunny morning. Time to search for the Gray Flycatcher at Lacy Park in San Marino, I told my wife. I tried looking for it last Tuesday but failed miserably on that endeavor. Being a beautiful day, there were a throng of people at the park. Not exactly a good sign if you want to see a rare flycatcher. Cynthia and I ambled along the southwest perimeter where our target bird was last seen. After an hour and a half, the park population somewhat thinned a bit. It was then that my wife heard something different coming from the sycamore trees by the concrete picnic tables. After a while she was pointing to a drab-looking bird diving for insects on the leaf-strewn grass. We found our bird, our 89th lifer for the year. It was quite cooperative and for the next ten minutes or so, we were able to get some pictures of it. We were about to follow the flycatcher when it flew to the west side of the park when as if conjured by a mad wizard, people with children on scooters, bikes and anything with wheels appeared on the trails. They were soon followed by folks who let their dogs chase balls all over the park. Of course, no flycatcher can compete with all these activities. And neither can we. Anyway, we were happy. We came, we saw, we got our Christmas bird.
3 comments:
Interesting birding and interesting post. Your birding sounds very challenging with all those people around.
That's a cute photo of your flycatcher. They always look so pleasant and look like they are always wearing a subtle smile. Congrats on seeing another lifer for Christmas. Have fun birding in the new year.
Wow! 89 Lifers in one year :) 2008 was good to you. I hope 2009 is even better!
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