I caught the "Flitting Flasher" today -- on film! (A photo-essay)

I fear that, once again, I have been deliberatly misleading, my dear Gather friends, in my choice of a title... and, I apologize for that... But, I feel that once you get a peek at this dear, little creature, you just might be in the mood to forgive me... ;o)

The "Flitting Flasher" that I refer to, of course, is one of the busiest, endearing, little avians I have ever had the priviledge of photographing: A Bewick's [pronounced "Buick's"] Wren!

It is rare, indeed, to catch this tiny member of the wren family on film because he "flits" and almost seems to "flash" from branch to branch and spot to spot with all the speed and animation of a nervous dragonfly!

Sitting, as I do, up here in the hills -- surrounded by oak trees and vast rolling meadows -- with very little, if any, "noise pollution" from the town and highway half-way across the Alexander Valley below, I have come to recognize, almost immediately, when I hear the call of a "new visitor".

So it was this morning when I heard a warbling trill that was unfamiliar to me. I have learned, upon these occasions, to grab my trusty camera and -- with no small amount of stealth -- head outside with the reward in mind of capturing the newcomer on film and thus adding its photograph to my growing stock of photos of Northern Californian birds.

I didn't find him the first two trips outside but, as with many things it seems of late, the third trip was the charm and I held my breath as this little Bewick's wren flitted down from the branch of a small toyon bush to the ground below the oak tree right in front of me (not 7 or so feet away) and began rummaging for small (but quite tasty, I'm sure) buggies:

Resembling very much little, tree-clinging "nuthatches", wrens are bright... alert and quick... They can best be identified by their long, curving bills and habit of holding their tails pertly aloft as they lean inquistively forward... 

I.D. of a Bewick's Wren, specifically, can be made from its signature "white eyebrow".

The other ready identifier which you can rely upon to ID a Bewick's wren are the white, uniformly spaced, spots on the end of its tail (as shown in the next photo):

There is an excellent webpage on the Bewick's Wren, sponsored and created by a local birding couple at http://www.americanbirdguide.com/wordpress/index.php?s=Bewick%27s+Wren . The wife half of this couple is an artist par excellence and her rendering of the Bewick's is absolutely precious (as well as quite accurate)! Do take a look if you have time, won't you?

I include this last photo that I took (even though the over-exposure and poor resolution won't qualify it for any photo contests, that's for sure!) because, of all the photos that I took, this is the one I feel best illustrates a "typical wren stance".

If you can't ID a wren any other way, look at the way it just stands there...

Note in the photo the tail held high and the "forward hunch" -- almost like a sprinter at the starting blocks -- with one foot and leg in front of (and bent lower) than the other.

Even if I could discern NO OTHER DETAILS in this next photo (which, sadly, is almost the truth...), I would be able to tell you with absolute certainty that this is a wren:

I hope you enjoyed getting to know my little friend, the Bewick's Wren, and I do hope that he'll be a frequent visitor up here in the Cloverdale hills -- for awhile, anyway, because as I do, always, with YOURS, I very much enjoy his company, as well! 

:o)

luv,

jean