I learn birds slowly.

But I do learn them… somehow.

The other day I was walking in the woods at Audubon when I heard a very lovely song I didn’t recognize.  I happened to be carrying a very good pair of binoculars (donated to Audubon by Dan Cordosi – Thank you, Dan!!!).  I decided I was going to see that bird if it was the last thing I did!

I listened intently until I determined which tree the song was coming from.  I found a spot with a good vantage point and scanned for the source of the sound.  When I finally saw movement, I lifted the binoculars and saw a tiny, brown streaked bird creeping along the bark of the tree, stopping occasionally to sing.

“Brown Creeper” popped immediately into my head.  I don’t know where it came from…  because if someone had pointed to that bird and asked me what it was, there is no way I would have been able to say for sure.  Indeed, I wasn’t sure at all…

But when I got home, I looked it up on Cornell’s website.  I listened to the song.  Yep.  No doubt.  Now, how did my brain remember that?  Where did my gray matter pull that from?

I was fascinated to read on the Cornell website that this bird usually builds a nest behind a flap of loose bark.  Also:

Nest consists of a base made in part out of cocoons and spider egg cases, anchored to inner surface of bark, and a cup made of fine pieces of bark, fibers, leaves, mosses, and feathers.

Birdies are so interesting…

Many thanks to Adam Paul, Tom LeBlanc, and Marg, whose pictures I shamelessly used without permission because I’m a naughty girl.  Click on each picture (or on their names in this paragraph) to go their photostreams on Flickr.com.  They all take amazing photos!