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| Yellow-rumped Warbler, Golden Gate Park |
In what is a first for me, I heard a hermit thrush singing this morning in Golden Gate Park -- specifically in the Oak Woodland near the horseshoe pits. The song seemed tentative, but there could be no mistaking it. However, I wasn't certain until I briefly saw the bird. There might be some territorial squabbling going on, too, as I watched one hermit chase another through the oaks.
What I'd love to see in a nature show (where the level of photography seems to keep getting more incredible) would be a slow-motion, birds-eye view of one of those chases through the trees. Think how fast the bird's brain has to process visual information to keep from running into something. No human could think that fast.
I was impressed again later this morning by sparrows gathered in bushes near the Bison Paddock. They usually flew from a bush to land within one of the openings on the chain-link fence, but occasionally they flew right through the hole without stopping.
Of course, many birds can do these awesome stunts, as I was reminded while watching some yellow-rumped warblers in the park. (Not that long ago, I was wondering when I was going to start to see the yellow-rumpers. Now they are among the most common birds I see.) I was surprised to see several of them hunting for insects on the ground; they reminded me of little robins. Other times they would dart from a tree branch to snatch something in mid-air, like a flycatcher.
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| Bearded Oak, Golden Gate Park |
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