“Okay, this place is going to be incredible!”
Lisa and I were in pursuit of outside time: She was looking for a nice walk, and I was looking for birds. The area, the Englewood Metropark North, looked to be more than adequate for her goal, but it looked to be fantastic for mine. Lots of weedy meadows just bursting with winter seeds, surrounded by woods and water.
We were visiting my side of the family in Ohio, and as we always try to do, we were out for a walk, enjoying some time with fresh air and a bit of space. This was our first time at this park, and it looked like it was going to be a good one.
What I wasn’t expecting: Silence
After we got out of the car and oriented ourselves to the map, I couldn’t help but be aware of just how quiet and bird-free the area seemed to be. While I’m still relatively new to birding, I knew enough not to be expecting a summertime experience. I wasn’t, however, expecting absolute silence when it came to birds and, well, everything. There wasn’t even wind noise.
Lisa’s plan was to hike for a bit of exercise, so we both headed toward the nearest trail. She slowly left me behind since the trail was muddy, keeping her from a faster pace. I dawdled, setting up my phone with Merlin and eBird.
And there I was, birding the park without a bird within sight or earshot.
Walking down the trail, I eventually heard a single bird, but I didn’t know what it was, and I wasn’t close enough for Merlin to pick it up. Getting closer, it seemed to sound like a sparrow of some sort, though I didn’t know which one. Like gulls, there are many types of sparrows, and beginners like me are oftentimes lost when it comes to recognizing them.
My Merlin app eventually picked it up though, and said it was an American Tree Sparrow. That was a mixed blessing, though heavily weighted toward the positive side. I was hearing a bird I’d never knowingly seen or heard before, which was cool, but to me that meant I needed to actually see it before I could record it. Sound identification through an app isn’t perfect, and I wasn’t going to log a new bird without a more positive ID.
I took a look at the app to get the identification basics down, and decided to look for a rusty cap, white breast, and – if possible – a bill that was both dark and yellow. Given the sound ID, those field marks would be enough for me. Moving closer to the sound, it took me just a few minutes to see the bird, and sure enough, it looked like I expected it too. Nice!
From there on, things picked up. Slowly, but they picked up.
Movement at the base of a tree turned out to be a Tufted Titmouse, gray and diminutive, flitting through the underbrush, then from tree to tree.
Then I saw another tiny friend, the Golden-crowned Kinglet, again in the underbrush, never flying more than three feet off the ground. Its movement led me to another, and I watched the two of them for a time until they disappeared.
A highlight of the day was a Belted Kingfisher, heard well before it was seen in the distance across the pond.
Finally, the day finished with a pair of Herring Gulls chasing away a Red-tailed Hawk. I stood and watched as the larger bird soared away in a steady fashion, in stark contrast to the erratic flight of the two smaller birds eager to clear their territory of the predator.
My time with birds has never been disappointing. The opportunity to get outside, take a close look at what’s going on around me, and engage through recording my observations is a lot of fun
Yet There is Method 