In the presence of a rare visitor
Suddenly, the alarm sounded. Silently. Or almost silent. I’ve done the drill. Stop moving. Say nothing. In fact, even without a sighting (on my part), I knew instinctively that this was a time to be discrete, in capital letters. This is a birding house, and outside, there was something rare. I was wearing a blue shirt, and that could have been enough to frighten the visitor.
I didn’t actually see the bird, but I believe. There will be pictures. In the birding world, rumours are a scourge. If you say you saw it, others want proof. Not “I thought I saw…” Today, at one of the feeders, at the very end of the season, a cardinal. For the ornithologists in my audience, (Cardinalis cardinalis). That’s not an echo. Rare enough, and you get your name said twice, to make sure that anyone involved is free of confusion.
And, in the case of this species, I will mention that “it” was a “she”. Female. Changes everything. I have seen a male, once. Removes the reference from “mythical” to “mystical”. There will be photos. Not here, but in the local albums. We knew that this was a possibility, and when we would say phrases like “maybe we will see a cardinal”, it was said with hope.
I live in close proximity to something term “flyway”. Rare birds come through, usually when we are not watching. To have something confirmed, in my own front yard, means that there will be mentions for others. I’ll have to be careful how I present, in front of a window. Mustn’t cause alarm for others.
