It all comes full circle

About a month ago, I heard a report of a Pink-footed Goose about an hour away from my home...a bird I had been desiring to see for a long time.  I had time before work, so I threw my scope and gear into the backseat, and I was off on the chase!

I came up empty.  I searched farm fields, parks, ponds, and reservoirs, but the Pink-footed Goose would not be found.  So, and this is the critical point here, I threw my gear back into my car, and headed off to work.

At the end of the long work day, back at home at last, I sat in my driveway for a few thoughtful moments.  I ALWAYS bring my scope and tripod back inside with me...obsessively so.  But that particular night, I was tired.  I would be getting up early the next morning to hunt for the goose again, so it made perfect sense...Why not just leave the gear in the back seat for one night?  What could happen?

The next morning, around 8 a.m., my roommate woke me up to tell me there was a police officer outside who wanted to speak with me.  I ran downstairs, out the front door, and came upon an unexpected scene.  My car windows were smashed to smithereens.  There was glass all over the ground and on the floor inside the car.  And my scope and tripod were gone.  Poof.

Wow.  What a lesson to learn.  Not only had I left my gear in my back seat, I had left my GPS in plain view on the dashboard.  That was missing, too, by the way.  And while we're on the subject, why don't we just dive right in to the greasy goodness, shall we?  The guy took my scope, my tripod, my GPS, my GPS car charger...He took my iPhone charger out of my glove compartment...He even ripped the ashtray out of the car, which had my collection of quarters inside.  Forget about the quarters, I loved that ashtray!  It was such a nice coin holder.  But my cds still lay strewn all about the car, not a one missing.  I guess I have bad taste in music.

This is a perfect example of how desperation and despondency all become part of that rich tapestry.  I spent weeks dealing with the police departement, with my insurance company, tracking down receipts and proofs of purchase...a nightmare.  But fast-forward to a few days before Christmas, and I get a call from the insurance company telling me that everything is covered...not only am I covered, but apparently I was paying some extra fee to make sure I would be covered for the full REPLACEMENT cost of my property, even if that meant I was replacing my goods with newer models.

Well that was a nice Christmas present.  It turned out that robber did me a favor.  I was able to replace my gear and actually upgrade.  All was not lost.  I reordered all my equipment, and set about to enjoying a nice holiday with family and friends.

My good friend SJ, a great birding companion and one of the best birders I know, thought it would be fun if I did a "year list" this year for the first time, beginning January 1, 2012...And what better way to begin than heading out bright and early on the morning of New Year's Day?  So I stayed with SJ for New Year's Eve, and the next morning we headed out for an awesome day of birding.  I didn't have my new equipment yet, including my scope, but together SJ and I notched 60 species.  I love the "year list" idea already.  You can follow my year's totals by clicking the year list link on the right side of the page.

So that brings us to today.  I had just received all my new gear in the mail yesterday, still tidily packaged up, when SJ called me to tell me that none other than a Pink-footed Goose was about an hour and a half away...and would we like to meet up and try for it in the morning?

The impossible irony of this was lost on me in my excitement.  I woke up this morning, unpackaged all my gear, read the manuals (yes, that's right), assembled everything, and hit the road.

After about an hour and a half of driving and a few wrong turns, less than 60 seconds from my destination, I heard the Song Sparrow singing on my phone, letting me know that SJ was calling.  I knew what he was going to say even before I picked up.  "I have the goose!"

I raced into the parking lot, spotted SJ and his mom GJ, and saw the smiles on their faces.  There was no one else around.  It was a gorgeous day, especially for January.  Blue sky, clear, brisk but not freezing.  There was a flock of hundreds of Canada Geese on the pond nearby.  I grabbed my scope, ran over and greeted my friends, and set up and started to scan.  I was too excited and impatient to find the bird on my own.  SJ got me on it, and as I took in the elusive Pink-footed Goose, SJ put it all in perspective: "Isn't it funny that the bird you went chasing the day your gear got stolen, is the first bird you see when you finally get your gear back?"

It's unbelieable really.  It's all come full circle.  What should have been a source of stress and sadness had eventually metamorphosed into an irony so exquisite, I could taste it.  But the beautiful irony soon faded into the pure pleasure of sharing a life bird with SJ and his mom.  Just awesome.

The birds eventually took off, that awe-inspiring pounding of wings against air that only a huge flock of geese can produce, and it was anyone's guess where the goose of the hour would be.  But all the geese seemed to be flying southwest, and SJ and I weren't going to let him get away that quickly!  Off we went!

After a few twists and turns down some dead end roads, SJ and I located another large flock of Canadas, this time on a farm field, that very well could have been the same group we had been observing earlier.  SJ said it looked like the entire flock was there, so let's get on them!  We drove around a bit more to determine our best vantage point.  We circled back around a few times and eventually came to a gravel driveway that would provide good views of the field and flock from a hundred yards or so away.  Without hopping over any fences, we stayed in the driveway and set up shop.  Once again, it was SJ who called it out, "I have it again!"

From that point on, we stayed and enjoyed a wonderful early afternoon with the Pink-footed Goose, surrounded by hundreds of his Canada brethren.  He moved in and out of view, back and forth, right and left, and closer and farther, but we were always able to keep him in view.  After that long with a special bird, you start to feel like you've gotten to know him.  He was so adorable, smaller and more demure than the larger, more imposing Canadas.  His size, structure, and plumage really made him stand out:

We were lucky to see those distinctive pink feet!  They were often obscured by the grass and other geese.  Other birders trickled in, spent their time with the bird, and left.  SJ, GJ, and I continued to stay and enjoy the experience.  Many of the other birders were having difficulty distinguishing the Pink-footed Goose from the Canadas.  They were vociferously, and I mean vociferously, discussing various means of separating them, proffering advice like, "Look for the bird that doesn't have as much white."  The thing is, if you actually observed quietly for a few moments, it became clear that the two species didn't look alike at all, and that distinctions would arise of their own accord.  The Pink-footed was much smaller, especially the neck and bill.  The bill itself was bright pink in the middle.  Even the color of the back feathers was a starker, lighter gray than the brown-black cast shown by the Canadas.  What I appreciated most was that as SJ, GJ, and I spent time quietly soaking in the wonder of the scene before us, we learned so much.  That quiet contemplation yields unexpected rewards.  Yet many others seemed to prattle on loudly, instead of just contentedly observing.

Eventually, everyone else had left, and only the three of us remained.  The Pink-footed Goose at that time approached us closer than it had all day.  It showed itself well, and amidst all the fun of taking photos and videos, we remembered to marvel at the serenity of the scene around us.  It was great having GJ there, too...even as it grew colder, we all enjoyed the experience.

There were some funny interactions between the Pink-footed and the Canadas I caught on my iPhone.  This Canada goose seems to be sending a message to the Pink-footed:  "Know your place, for I am lord of this field!  You will bow before me!"

But I prefer this next shot, touched up a bit for creative effect...Birds are expressive creatures, so I like to work with that expressiveness as much as possible.  The Pink-footed stands his ground and cries, "BEHOLD!  I shall stand tall and summon forth the golden rays of sun!  Look upon me, and despair!"

I was able to take a video through my iPhone, which does a pretty good job through the scope, considering our distance:

As our time at the farm field neared its end, a farmer drove up and started to approach.  I walked up and asked him if we were ok where we were, and he couldn't have been nicer.  We invited him to look through our scopes, and he was genuinely interested in the rare bird that had so many people all aflutter.  His dog, Dakota, who had been barking at us from afar, belonged to the farmer, and observing that we were in his master's confidence, approached with excitement and friendliness.  I love dogs, and Dakota was a real character!  When we all returned to our cars, Dakota scampered over and peered in my vehicle, about ready to hop in.  I think he was scanning to make sure I hadn't been robbed again...He seemed to have a sixth sense about him.  He trotted over to SJ's car and looked around, wondering if this might be his ride home.  It wasn't, but he was ok with that.  We said our good-byes, and Dakota was off.

A memorable afternoon, spent with good friends, good birds, and good doggies.

It all comes full circle.  You just never know it when the circle starts.