Just two days ago I posted how I was briefly reacquainted with a Painted Redstart in the same section of Arroyo Verde Park where David found it for us in December 2019. The lighting was poor and the bird uncooperative leading to photos sufficient to make an identification but not much else. So… I returned less than two days later. The morning was chamber of commerce beautiful. No lighting excuses this time, if I could be fortunate enough to find it.
I headed directly for the section of “lucky” trees, but no sign nor sound of the little beauty. I walked a little further along the trail coming to a small flat area before the trail dives down into the park below. Both Blair and Alison have run cross-country races on this very trail, so maybe they can picture it. I moved to a fence to look over the park below and the tall trees that dominate it, to see some Acorn Woodpeckers working the high branches. Within a few seconds this small black bird flies across my view and lands on the fence just six feet away from me. It has the white markings on it wings! It has a red belly! IT’S THE PAINTED REDSTART. I am struggling to get my camera aimed and focused as the bird hops on the ground and moves continuously in random directions within ten feet of me. Then it turns and starts coming directly at me. My camera won’t focus. It keeps coming. I start backing up but nothing is helping the bird come into focus in my viewfinder. It finally turns back and goes behind a small tree just a few feet away, but when I move around the tree it is gone.
I am stoked. I found it. Correction, it found me. I’m bummed, because I didn’t get good photos. Pushing my luck, I waited right there hoping it might come back and to my surprise it did! It made its way to a tree about twenty feet away and stayed for a few moments then flew to the fence and flitted off. The camera focused, at least for a few pics.
Some obvious questions remain; Is this the same bird from 2019? If so, did it ever leave the area? Are there more than one of these beauties here in the park? Now that we are reintroduced I’ll have to visit the park more often and see what happens.
Dean
The Big Year 2021 