July 29 2012. “I haven’t yet seen a bird that made me say ‘Wow!’ “ I explained to my young companion as we left for home after a full morning. We had visited several expanses of oozy mud, something birders get pleasure from at certain times of the year. He had a spotting ‘scope so was able to see a few oddities that I didn’t, like Bairds and Stilt Sandpipers. I have never really fallen for telescopes as an aid to finding and seeing birds, too often the image seems to be somehow unsatisfying; so if I can’t get it with binoculars, well there’s always another day. We tallied about 40 species in the morning including Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Caspian and Common Terns, Common Yellowthroat and Yellow Warblers, but really nothing that made me say Wow! Until I got home that is, when perched and feeding happily on a faded sunflower head was this beautiful male American Goldfinch. Wow!
