Howdy everyone, hope you are having a wonderful day. Had a couple of long grueling trail runs at the start of this week which gave me ample time to ponder what’s next on the post docket. Trust me, you are looking for anything to distract you when you are in the midst of a 2500ft and a 4000ft elevation gain training beat down. It’s during that second run that the topic appeared before my eyes – literally! On a fairly “roots of all evil” stretch my eyes were busy processing the path of least resistance in the immediate 8′ to 10′ out when something triggered the spidey senses. Lesson learned from shattered elbow, slowed down before looking for the source (I am teachable ha). Slightly beyond my root scrutiny was an absolutely monster of a Woodchuck/Groundhog/Land Beaver (pick your regional moniker) staring right at me (link here). Based on the eye dilation guessing we were equally surprised. Each stood motionless sizing each other up, processing through safety protocols, judging outcomes, assessing enemy capabilities and calculating threat models. Instinctively went with my “Hi puppy?” verbal response with my hands down and palms out. Chucky, actually more like Charlotte raised up, sniffed the air some more and waddled off further down the trail – clearly offended by my “odor-de-sweat”. Suspect the larger than expected size and cumbersome movements were due to pups in the oven (for the record they can have up to 9!). She eventually vanished in some brush and I restarted root protocols. Had to come up with a new inner Bri conversation as the post topic had just been decided.
I’ll explain the connection at the end, but for now let me introduce today’s featured feathered friend.
Hit the jump to learn more about this somewhat tricky bird …. and how it is related to one of the three incredibly rude experiences I had while we were on our recent south Texas trip.
This particular specimen is a rather plain, dare say drabbish, member of the Warbler family, a class of birds traditionally known for their brilliant colors. To its credit, it does possess a hidden gem, but it is rarely willing to reveal it. I immediately get thoughts of “it came to me, my own, my love, my precioussss”. The secretive feature is revealed in the name as this bird goes by the name Orange-Crowned Warbler (link here). I wish I could give you look at it.
Unfortunately, I have only seen it ONCE in all my encounters and thanks to that deviant Murphy…completely messed up the shot. The Kinglets can be stingy about giving us a peek at their ruby or golden crowns, but that is considered generous compared to these Orange-Crowned.
The OCs, or the OGs as I call them in the field are fairly common in southern Texas during their non-breeding months. They will push up through a majority of the states before reaching their rather expansive breeding grounds that covers Alaska, Canada and a smattering of regions in the western states. The problem comes when trying to consistently ID them in the field.
These shots were taken at the bird blind in Guadalupe River State Park just north of San Antonio back in January 2023. That park has become one of our standard stopovers when we migrate south for the winter. Always good for a checkmark on the Lesser Goldfinch and while you are waiting for those to come to the feeders, you can take pictures of all the OGs your digital cards can hold. The adults will be easier to spot with their consistent yellow/olive coloring paired with a pale partial eye ring. The difficulties come in the regional color changes and immature variations.
For starters, the farther west you go, the brighter yellow they get. To be honest, this would be an advantage for making the distinction between the OGs and the other “greyer” species like the Nashville and Tennessee Warblers. Making it even harder, the immatures can have a grey toned head which can easily be mistaken for those other two Warblers. You can see that feathering change in these last couple of shots.
There are two things I look for in the field when it comes to the Orange-Crowned. The first and most helpful is the partial eye ring. The Nashville will have a solid white eye ring. The Tennessee will have a fairly defined black eye-line that extends from the bill and then beyond the eye. They usually have a lighter (to white) belly coloring, but that can vary towards yellow as well. The other key identifier I go after is the long faint streaking on the throat and upper chest. If you look close, you will see that on both the immatures and the adults. This feature is lacking on the other Warblers mentioned.
Cornell gives a couple of other features to note. Their bills are thin and pointy and “the undertail covers are always yellow”. Honestly, I doubt those additional attributes will help you that much in the field, but worth noting for when you make it back to the digital darkroom.
Okay, now for the tangential part of the post and why the Woodchuck sealed the deal so to speak. Up to this last trip to Texas we have always appreciated how cordial everyone was we met. Especially holds true for birders who are always willing to share their finds or get our eyes on a new bird. This streak came to an end recently, not once, but THREE times. Normally I keep the human observations on the mothership, but decided to share one that had a birding theme. To set the stage, we had stopped at Goose Island State Park prior to heading up to Port Aransas. We have stayed there many times and enjoyed seeing the nearby Whooping Cranes and they have a very nice fishing pier, nature trails and bird feeder area that usually produces good checks for the year. Usually we are there in January, but this year we made it down there in late March (unfortunately, the Whoopers had migrated north just TWO days before we arrived ugh). On the last day, while Linda got the RV ready for the move, I went out for a little morning birding. Not much happening on the pier so made my way to the bird feeders. Waved at a shirtless dude running with his dog – no return acknowledgement – no worries. Got to the bird feeders with the large “Please be quiet” signs out front, heeded the request and entered. There was another individual there and we struck up a low conversation about RGV birding while noting the various birds that were showing up at the feeders – he was heading there for the first time and I was busy telling him places to go and what we had found. In the midst of that, the previously noted runner enters, pushes past us with his dog, proceeds to lead the dog directly to the drip feature and prompts it to start drinking. Once done drinking, the owner pushes past us again and leaves. I was pretty shocked and noted to the other birder how rude that was. He agreed, we went back to RGV hotspots and let it go. Soon after, the birder said his goodbyes and I wished him luck.
Alone now, I took a seat on the top of a nearby picnic table to wait for the return of what I was hoping was a Nashville Warbler that had popped out several times at the drip while we were talking .. but not since the intrusion. Quiet now, figured it might gain confidence to come back. Set the camera down, made myself comfortable and started up Merlin to help with the ID when/if it came back. 5 minutes later I thought the bird had come back….got some quick shots…eventually convinced myself it was an Orange-Crowned Warbler and went back to waiting (that was connection number 1 to the post).
Now it gets interesting. I hear the runner coming back with his dog, walks directly past me straight for the drip I had been patiently observing, prompts his dog to drink and then proceeds to walk right past me again. I ignored the runner and focused directly on the dog. As it passed me I quietly said “Hi Puppy” with one arm down (thus the default reaction when I saw the Woodchuck). Now 10′ or so past me, the runner says something…I didn’t respond as I was focused on assessing the threat from the dog. All of sudden the runner starts screaming wanting to know what “My problem was” while coming back towards me. I didn’t take my eye of the dog, I’d already done my threat assessment of the runner. Responded calmly with “That has to be one of the most inconsiderate things I’ve ever seen”. Hit a chord..dude starts yelling at me even louder about how I don’t care about a thirsty dog blah blah blah…still approaching me. Dog was not a threat, turned my attention to the growing threat. Moved The Beast to a safer distance, kept improved my position and responded “I would never blame a pet for owner actions.” You can tell when a person knows he is in the wrong..they start sputtering, get louder and start tensing. More gibberish comes out, but now he has finally decided to stop approaching. Dog still not interested. Likely realizing I am not reacting to the verbal insults, he grabs his dog and starts to leave while calling me names I don’t think the LGB community would appreciate. A strange final flex that made me chuckle.
Post assessment. Was I wrong to consider this inconsiderate behavior? As a runner myself I am pretty ashamed – if your dog will need water simply bring it (he was carrying none which in my book means you are not going that far). The interesting aspect is Merlin was still running so I have it all recorded. A good chuckle which I’m sure to bring out at Intrigue’s corporate gatherings. Probably more thought provoking is why someone feels secure enough to be aggressive towards another…especially in Texas! My wife and I consider our personal safety a self-attained priority. I’m lucky none of the multiple layers of defense had to be used and the encounter didn’t escalate beyond harmless words. By the way, in case you have children or simply not sure where to start with your own perspective on personal safety, I highly recommend picking up the book Sheep No More by Jonathan T. Gilliam (link here – non-sponsored link). That book is a nice collection of all the concepts, beliefs and approaches I’ve been taught and relied on ever since going off on my own.
Hope you enjoyed seeing the shots of the Orange-Crowned Warbler and thanks for indulging my account on a rare negative experience. Stay safe!
Life Intrigued 