Sauvie Island Summer

I met the coolest bird on this trip.

I arose early. Before sunrise, I went to Oak Road on Sauvie Island in the hopes of finding summer birds. I also wanted to take advantage of “the golden hour.”

It was more like “the golden hour of the cow.”

Savannah Sparrows showed me their good sides.

And I came across a few other sweet birds, including a pair of California Quail on the trail that hopped into the nearby trees for cover.

Just before this, I had probably the geekiest conversation I’ve ever had. Returning from the end of the Oak Road trail, I saw another birder walking towards me. Binoculars in hand, beige safari outfit, I can spot a fellow tribe member from a mile away. He asks, “Have you seen a Vesper Sparrow?” “No, I’m sorry I haven’t,” I replied. “I’m looking for the Yellow-breasted Chat,” I told him.

He then proceeded to give me directions to the chat, as he’d heard it singing on his way toward Oak Road. “Good luck with the sparrow!” I told him. He said that it probably hadn’t arrived yet, and I made a mental note to revisit the site in the future to look for vespers.

I followed his directions and voilà, that is how I met the coolest bird ever, the Yellow-breasted Chat. Its “song” sounds more like monkey chatter. I would love to be in a forest surrounded by a chorus of chats and I hope to spend more time with them in the field.

Here’s a pretty decent video of just the bird’s song. And below is a video of the bird singing from a tree while the wind whips the branches around. An American Robin tries to steal the show in the background. Not the easiest environment to take a presentable video, but worth sharing.

Coolest bird I’ve met to date.

Tweets and chirps,

Audrey