Day 8 - Into the wild

Feb. 22 - The things birders do to see a little bird! Here we were, pants tucked into socks because of the ticks that were lurking in and on the bushes, as we attempted to walk through shoulder-high bushes that possessed little, aggressively curved thorns on the lengths of their prolific, arching branches. The phrase, "Ow!" was oft repeated, sometimes accompanied by other less placid words! We dutifully followed William, his recorder held high, through ever denser thickets until he told us to stay put and he'd holler when he found the Gnatcatcher. Have you ever attempted to find someone who has hollered at you from about 15m away, but you can't see them and you're not sure which direction the holler came from? After numerous false starts which were peppered with more one-word phrases of distress, we found William, who had indeed found a pair of Cuban Gnatcatchers. The little perishers were very camera-shy, though, and I think Giff may have the only photograph ever taken of this pretty little bird.