Gone Birdin'

July 2, 2022

My birthday wish in July 2020 was to see a Red-faced Warbler. I was in northern Arizona with my sister for a birthday/Fourth of July camping trip and stopped through Flagstaff for some birdwatching. We decided on Lockett Meadow, a birdy meadow south of the Grand Canyon. When my sister asked me if there was anything I wanted to see in particular, I told her I hoped to find a Red-faced Warbler. It would be a lifer. She asked what the bird looked like and I pondered for a second. My best answer was, “Well… it’s a warbler with a red face.”

We wandered around the area for a couple of hours enjoying the resident Steller’s Jays, White-breasted Nuthatches, and Mountain Chickadees. When we were getting ready to leave, I noticed bird movement from a series of low branches. I pointed my lens in the bird’s direction and held my breath. It took me three shots to get the bird in focus but fortunately, I managed to take one more before it flew off. I showed my sister the photo— a warbler with a bright red face.

The memory of this day and bird are dear to me. I felt lucky not only for the encounter with a birthday Red-faced Warbler, but also for a photo reminding me of a precious morning with my sister.

The original birthday Red-faced Warbler photo somehow got deleted in the transition to a new computer. All I’m left with is a screenshot from an iNaturalist upload in 2020, hence the grainy quality. Alas, the sentiment still remains.

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