Nature Done Wright

My column in The Record today features another batch of readers' most memorable moments, including Susan McTigue's rendezvous with the hummingbird pictured above in Costa Rica. (Thanks, Susan!)

Here's the beginning:

"A while back, I asked readers to share their most memorable birding moment. Raptors and hummingbirds were a favorite for many — including both at once."

Other contributions are from Mary Ann Battersby, Harvey Tomlinson  and Sharon Kitts.

You can download the column here: Download TheRecordBergenEdition_20200709_LF03_0

The entire column is below:

By Jim Wright

Special to The Record

A while back, I asked readers to share their most memorable birding moment. Raptors and hummingbirds were a favorite for many — including both at once.

Here are four more favorites, edited for space:

Mary Ann Battersby, Ringwood: In the spring of 2015, my birdbath had toppled over and pinned a red-shouldered hawk to the ground.  All that was visible were its head and wings.

 I called The Raptor Trust, and was able to capture the injured bird and drive it to their facility.  

After a week of intensive care, The Raptor Trust said I could pick up the bird. My son and I released the now-tagged bird from our backyard.  

I’ll never know for sure if the bird still returns to our neighborhood each spring, but for almost every year since then, I’ve seen a red-shouldered hawk with a leg tag in our neighborhood. 

I still marvel at these events and the resilience of the red-shouldered hawk.

Harvey Tomlinson, Del Haven: In my more than 30 years of birding, one moment will always bubble up as my best. In April 2005, in Madera Canyon, Ariz., we were following the dry gulch along the trail when I heard a northern pygmy owl tooting. 

I did my best pygmy owl call, and he and I started at it. I would call, and he would respond, yet we just couldn't find him. 

After about 10 minutes, a crowd of birders joined in the search, but still no owl sighting. Then a blue-throated hummingbird flew in and was all over me like dill on a pickle!

I stopped tooting, but the owl continued. The hummer then zeroed in on the owl and went nuts on him. The crowd cheered. We watched the two of them go toe to toe.

The owl was on a pine limb 20 feet up and was running back and forth, throwing his call every which way but loose.

    Susan McTigue, Closter:  Costa Rica is a birder's paradise and I was not disappointed. The Monteverde Cloud Forest is home to hummingbirds of every color.  This green-throated "jewel" took my breath away as it stayed still long enough for a clear shot (see photo).

    Sharon Kitts, Long Valley: Several years ago, we had great horned owls living in our neighborhood.  We could hear their distinctive whoo, whoo, who, who calls every night, but we couldn’t see them.  

Then one day, we spotted one swooping in our yard at my daughter’s little cat.  It was magnificent and terrifying at the same time.  We put the cat inside, but we wanted to see this owl again.  My daughter brought her laptop outside to our patio and played the mating call sounds of the great horned owls on the computer.  

This owl was very interested and it swooped down near us several times.  It was amazing and again terrifying, but something we will never forget. We have been admirers of owls ever since. 

 We had a pair nest in the trees in our yard and hatch eggs.  We found their shell fragments on the ground in our yard.

And we’ve also spotted a small screech owl sitting beneath the red maple tree in our yard. 

We love to hear the sounds of the various owls that visit our neighborhood and try to figure out what kind of owls they might be. They are amazing.
    The Bird-watcher column appears every other Thursday. Email Jim at celeryfarm@gmail.com.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Susan McTigue

Caption: This Crowned Woodnymph was a highlight of a trip to Costa Rica.