On the Quiet Side

Last week's posting "Extravagance" discovered intricacies in the Lilliputian insect world at Halibut Point while the summer landscape rested quietly, debilitated by drought. With the advent of fall bird activity has stirred again. Migrants are passing through or stopping in our area for the winter season. 

You have two choices in watching for birds: go find them, or let them come to you. I'm going to relate to you a case where the low-key approach worked perfectly, in a quiet corner of the Park beside the route to its spectacular scenery.

The venue

All the photographs you're about to see were taken this week right by the Park entrance. This alcove between the wildflower garden and the 'managed meadow' offers varied habitat and food sources. 

Field Sparrow

I was standing in the open. Maintaining stillness eventually allowed glimpses of songbirds moving through.

White-throated Sparrow

Flocks of grey and white Juncos fluttered conspicuously on either side of the stone wall. A variety of warm-hued sparrows often accompanied them singly or in small numbers.

Swamp Sparrow

The sparrows were modestly patterned with subtle plumage distinctions. Making their definitive acquaintance was both challenging and endearing without excessive hardship, a nice blend of devotions for this point in life.

A slight movement in the treeline caught my attention

Some of the shier sparrow species declined to come into the open for favorable portraiture.

The photo enlargement revealed a Fox Sparrow

A Fox Sparrow might have seemed extravagantly marked in a full sunlit view, but its jazzy rufous stripes camouflaged it effectively in the dappled canopy.

Lincoln's Sparrow

A Lincoln's Sparrows nearly avoided notice by blending its leafy markings into the shrubby border.

Song Sparrow

The "weedy" area along the stone wall retained remnants of the colorful wildflowers featured in my August 12 posting, A Choice of Blues.

Savannah Sparrow

Park Supervisor John Ratti had decided to leave their tall stalks uncut to see how they might support wildlife, or subside with a spare late-season beauty of their own.

Savannah Sparrow

This island of diverse habitat provided an observation point for distinguishing among the patterns of various sparrows at close range.

A juvenile White-crowned Sparrow

The grasses, wildflowers, and shrubs nourished a variety of seed-seeking passerines.

Chipping Sparrow

The sparrows generally foraged on the ground within, or close to, the cover of tall plants.

Clay-colored Sparrow

Sometimes they found what they were looking for in the upper branches of the wildflowers, or just came up to look around.

A mysterious non-sparrow

Occasionally warblers, phoebes, and other small birds of muted fall plumage passed through the glade. The identity of one of these proved perplexing until it perched and showed its hefty seed-cracking bill.

A female Indigo Bunting

Most sightings of Indigo Buntings hereabouts come in the spring when the males are extravagantly attired in blue. This female appeared during the quiet side of the cycle.

An uncommon Lark Sparrow with harlequin head pattern is one of the few members of the family I have yet to find at Halibut Point. Encountering it would add a holiday touch to the earthy tones and quiet repose of my vigil.

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Special thanks to Chris Leahy for verification of bird identities.