Tuesday, October 23, 2012

enamored by a rumpus




Forgive me if I speak blithely about a rump. 

(Is it OK to say rump on the Internet?)

Sometimes, it's the little things, the simple things that lift your spirits and bring cheer to your day. Like, for instance, a flash of buttery color. 

Case in point, I saw my first yellow-rumped warbler of the season this afternoon, flitting trough the trees off my second floor deck. Yellow-rumps are the only species of wood warbler that spend their winters in the Tennessee Valley after having nested much farther to the north. 

The woodland passerine was lively, bounding from branch-to-branch, enjoying the pleasant afternoon breeze as much as I enjoyed seeing its saffron-colored keister pirouette by my propitious perch.

Does that make me a voyeur? Then call me such with a nod and a wink and a pink-cheeked blush.

-Photo by Alan D. Wilson




5 comments:

Dorothy said...

Oh, I'd just call you a 'Bird Watcher"! A few years ago, I saw my first Yellow-rumped Warbler at my sister's house. Then this past winter, We had a pair of them that entertained us for months! They are such a delight to watch! I hope they come back this year.

Stephen Lyn Bales said...

Yep. They would practically be invisible in the winter if it weren't for that yellow backside.

Such a joy to see.

Rikki Hall said...

I hear pine warblers out of season with growing frequency. They spend a lot more time high in the canopy, so they are harder to notice, but with climate change I think yellow-rumps are losing their claim to being the only wood warbler that overwinters in our area.

Stephen Lyn Bales said...

Hey Rikki! That's a good one, and you are probably right. Everything is in a state of flux, so much so, it makes my head spin.

A Colorful World said...

Love this wonderful bird! I have never seen one in the wild, though.

How are you doing, dear friend? Well, I hope!