MOUNTAIN TALKS: Storytelling Moments, Experiences & Encounters with "Extraordinary Ordinary Birds"

Steller's Jay begging for a crumb on Yosemite hike

On May 25th, 2016, I was honored to be the kickoff speaker for a new monthly lecture series (MOUNTAIN TALKS) hosted by the Volunteers in Parks Program (VIPP) of Mount Diablo State Park.

Inaugural Mountain Talks presents the Bird Watcher / Word Botcher

A distinct honor!

Big ol' Crow on log at Limantour Beach

Conceived, produced and facilitated by Park Docents Anastasia (Staci) Hobbet and Jenn Roe, MOUNTAIN TALKS intends to speak to "our hearts and minds" monthly on topics related to our great and cherished Mount Diablo.

In Chochenyo-speaking Ohlone
the great mountain is called
Tuyshtak:
"at the dawn of time"

Gulls
gathered en masse
McClures Beach

At first blush, I blushed. Moi?

Far-off photo of Bald Eagle atop electrical pylon in the Berkeley Hills

What do I know?

A lot about very little.

And very little about a lot.

Especially when it comes to being

precise and all-knowing about birds.

Tell me, please: what kind of bird am I?

But with gentle prodding, persuasive charm, and an unwavering conviction that I should be so honored because of my long-time chronicling of the natural world through my two hiking and birding blogs – GAMBOLIN' MAN and BERKELEYBACKYARDBIRDBLOG – Staci managed to sway me to accept her offer to deliver the first MOUNTAIN TALKS lecture on a topic near and dear to my heart:

Goslings orienting to their new world

Extraordinary Ordinary Birds!

Anastasia Hobbet and invited speaker prior to the lecture

But as the weeks wore on, a shroud of anxiety descended, in odd but striking defiance of my oh-so confident side convinced of my veritable talents as writer, photographer, chronicler, naturalist, and champion of the natural world.

White-crowned Sparrow in a field

I've never been one to "toot my own horn" or tout myself as an "expert". I do style myself as an old-fashioned nature writer, though; I do consider myself to be a documentarian, a chronicler, an irrepressibly enthusiastic poetic observer of Mother Nature's small, oft-overlooked manifestations of beauty (hidden in plain sight), and mostly underappreciated or ignored nuances, patterns, and abstractions of the natural world.

Cracked mud

The unseen miracles and hidden charms, coaxed out from the most unlikely places – an urban culvert posing as a creek, a couple square yards of tangled brush and trees disguising itself as a forest, a landscaped garden, a crack in the sidewalk, the backside of a dead tree.

Patient Raptor on post in West Marin County

But perhaps my Ph.D. in Word Botching qualifies me!

I suppose I can fake it as well as the next person.

But I just don't want to come off or be perceived as a FRAUD!

Nothing "common" about this Golden-eye

Still, the butterflies wouldn't abate as the day of reckoning approached. I just couldn't shake the age-old fear of having to perform. And having to be not just good, but excellent. And not just excellent, but funny and entertaining. And not just that – but profound!

Finch at the feeder

Should I reach back to my early thespian roots and memorize a script? Should I go the extemporaneous route and just riff like a rapper off some sloppy notes? What I really wanted to do was just get up there at the podium, relax into things, and read from my favorite passages, but Staci would have none of that.

Black-headed Grosbeak in Tilden Regional Park

So, I needed to find a way to unleash my written eloquence in the spoken word – not get up there and ramble disjointedly like a half-cocked bird-brained booby. Plainly, I was nervous right up to the moment.

Pretty yellow Goldfinch (nothing "Lesser" about him!)

I finally hit on a plan! I would engage the audience by telling stories. Around 25 people were in attendance, including the two founders of Mount Diablo Interpretative Association, the lovely couple Frank and Edith Valle-Riestra. I could not have been more honored.

Frank and Edith Valle-Riestra
(photo by Eric Luse / San Francisco Chronicle)

(2023 update: Edith passed away at age 90 in 2018.

Frank joined her in 2021 at age 97.)

Band-tailed Pigeon espied high up in a tree

Thus it would be. Stories of everyday wanderings, quotidian encounters, daily observations and rambling musings about birds. Stories with no particular lesson to impart, but maybe a pun or two, and who knows, let slip an accidental parable or allegory, for birds do in fact have a tremendous lot to teach us.

Snowy Egret with Coots passing by

A half-hour of meet 'n greet set my mind to a calm state getting to know members of the Mount Diablo Interpretative Association and others in attendance – many fine people dedicated to the protection and preservation of the ecological treasure that is Mount Diablo State Park.

Cormorant atop a pole at Big Break Regional Shoreline

Jenn delivered a few words of interest about MDIA programs, events and initiatives, and Staci then jumped right into her heartfelt paean to Gambolin' Man:

Red-winged Blackbird at Briones Reservoir

Now it’s my pleasure to introduce Tom McGuire to you.

Tom has a real world job at the UCB Extension,

but his ruling passion for many years

has been to hike and explore our area,

and then to write about his experiences in the natural world.

White-tailed Kite at McLaughlin-Eastshore State Park

A few months ago, as I was doing some research on our local trees,

an eye-catching, whimsical blog popped up

under the heading Gambolin’ Man (gamble, gambol).

He wrote it last January:

"Arboreal Wonders of the Bay Area:

Magical Encounters & Spiritual Appointments

with Our Beloved Old Acquaintances".

European Starling

I thought: too touchy feely, but Tom’s photos drew me in

and then his text took me under completely.

Not too touchy feely at all.

Along with more than 30 beautiful and sensitive photographs of native trees, he wrote eloquent portraits of our native trees,

a mix of natural history interpretation with contemplation,

which spoke deeply to me about my own experiences outdoors.

Would someone tell me which kind of Flycatcher I am, please
(Mitchell Canyon Trail, Mount Diablo State Park)

We’re all nature junkies. Why do we love it?

Because we learn cool stuff, we get some exercise,

we get to be with other people who share our interests,

whether it’s watching butterflies or building a new trail.

I must be a Hermit Thrush, right

But we’re out there seeking something deeper too:

beauty, peace, serenity, balance, a sense of connectedness.

This is what Tom is about.

His isn’t a scientific talk about extraordinary ordinary birds

but a talk about the nourishing rewards of taking the time to look.

Rufous Hummingbird hanging on

And so . . . take it away, Tom McGuire:

Program Director at UC Berkeley Extension

Gambolin' Man!

Word Botcher Extraordinaire!

I hope that you are all
BIG FANS of my writing!

Below are verbatim notes – my "GPS" waypoints to keep on track with nicely segueing topics and thematic unity, but also a narrative loose enough for free association encouraging stream of thought pyrotechnics and in-the-moment verbal spectacles on all things bird-related.

Heron in the golden gloam of SF Bay

I. Introduction

Raptor with lizard in talons

My name, author of two blogs – they wanted David Attenborough . . . BUT, they had to settle for me (ice breaker, ha ha) . . . acknowledgements to MDSP / VIPP . . . new series / hosts = / Staci, Jenn and others in attendance.

Lesser Goldfinch

From Gambolin’ Man to Berkeley Backyard Bird Blog – I draw from generations of nature writers. I am inspired by the musings, rustications and nature writings of the Transcendentalists: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman, Henry David Thoreau, John Muir.

Bewick's Wren in the garden

And deep wellsprings of inspiration owing to the relatively unknown John Burroughs, and to modern and old-timey poets, essayists and champions of nature: Wendell Berry, Rachel Carson, Aldo Leopold, Diane Ackerman, Edward Abbey, Longfellow, Wordsworth.

Crow and Hummingbird perching together

So I began writing Gambolin' Man ten years ago (2005), as a way to pay homage to nature wisdom, to being in the moment, paying attention, communing with what Tom Brown, Jr. referred to as " the spirit that moves in all things."

Night-crowned Heron (juvenile) at Jewel Lake

THEME:

Here to illuminate EXTRAORDINARY ORDINARY BIRDS

because of the stories they provide.

Example: SHRIKE PUN STORY!

"Third time's a charm,

or three shrikes and yer out!"

(Speaking of Strikes –

300M / year killed in collisions with aircraft.)

Quantum dissolution of a Hummingbird in flight

II. Themes / Philosophy in Writing

Pyrrhuloxia: "desert Cardinal"

As I mentioned, Gambolin’ Man – no GPS, zero TH info – (you can find that yourself). My "schtick" is all about experiential adventure, come along with me to discover . . . and seek out the small miracles that abound, unseen, hidden, manifesting in the commonplace all around us – the so-called commonplace is actually full of magic and charm!

Brown hued Gull

HENRY MILLER QUOTE:

"The moment one gives close attention to anything,

even a blade of grass,

it becomes a mysterious, awesome,

indescribably magnificent world in itself."

Heron in tree

Naturally, this all translates to my feelings for “everyday” birds . . . never generic or pedestrian! – and my lyrical, poetic approach to writing about them.

Wild Tom

III. So, What Do I Know About Birds?

Black-crowned Night Heron (adult) at Albany Bulb

I could know a heck of a lot more, that’s for sure! (Lazy, sloppy!) I’m no “expert” etc. I don’t profess to know . . . but I suppose by virtue of my avocation – observing, writing, recording, understanding . . . I must have some catalog of knowledge . . . BUT I am a naturalist by default.

Bird skull (weighs less than 1 gram)

I consider myself just a hobbyist, so no discourses on migratory patterns or complex alternate molting strategies. I’m NOT one of those serious fanatics obsessing over top quality bird-related websites apps, nor do I (generally) make plans to travel to the far ends of places like Peru, Arkansas or Siberia to spot unique birds, or scurrying off to attend conventions for bragging rights to Life List sightings.

Kestral spotted at Machu Picchu

Nor am I one to compile LIFE LISTS . . . but, actually I DO have my LIFE LIST compilation of sightings! (*hold up book).

Notes from my daily sightings

While I am a naturalist by default . . . BUT really just writer / photographer. NO LECTURE here, just sharing what I have experienced. AND YET :: A few examples of how little I know :: CONSTANTLY stumped in the field.

Pie-billed Grebe in Tilden Nature Area

Constantly confused and mystified, 

befuddled by gender, age, variation:

sparrows / woodpeckers / waterfowl.

White-crowned Sparrow little fatty

Cannot rattle off "fascinating" facts.

Willow Flycatcher hatchlings

Of 10,000 species, and what – 800 in the U.S. – maybe I’ve catalogued 150! I can only name two genus / species – MIMUS POLYGLOTTUS (Mockingbird) and the humorous sounding . . . TURDUS MIGRATORIUS! (Robin) (Imagine if you can little turd balls streaking across the sky . . .)

Turdus migratorius (Robin)

Horrible at vocal learning and aural ID'ing. EXAMPLE: Quail mating call didn’t recognize. Could not recognize my neighbor's tropical bird in the window; Warbling Vireo at Tilden on Sunday thinking it was a “drunken Robin” (Grosbeak)

Pacific-slope Flycatcher resident of urban parks and yards

Certainly I need positive visuals!

Who knew that Jays imitated Hawks?

 AND have LOTS to learn!

Ragged old beach bum of a Crow

TAKE-AWAY: while I recognize importance of LINNEAN UNDERPINNINGS, genetics, etc. MINE IS NOT a scientific or rigorous approach – more about HAVING FUN, enjoying nature, like enjoying a tiny creek that is not MAJESTIC, the tiny birds bring me satisfaction and joy!

Spotted Towhee up in the hills

WALT WHITMAN QUOTE:

“You must not know too much or be too precise or scientific

about birds and trees and flowers and watercraft;

a certain free-margin, and even vagueness

 – ignorance, credulity –

helps your enjoyment of these things.”

White-tailed Kite flying off with prey of the day

So, not study them so much as to admire them. Not split feathers over lineage and genes, but to avoid the trap – as EMERSON CAUTIONED THOREAU – “of finding and booking it, lest life should have nothing more to show you.”

Western Bluebird near Wildcat Peak in the Berkeley Hills

All of which inspires a deep (organic) understanding and wellspring of respect for birds, all creatures and to the Earth – for we never wish to drain too much of the mystery and magic out of birds’ fabulous existence.

Scarlet Macaw (pet bird) in Live Oak Park

SO, MY ONLY FACTS are what I observe, note, and meditate/write upon. Mine is a more poetic, sentimental lyrical interpretation – pure “nature writing” – I prefer to leave the science of birds to others . . .

Mallard family

Except occasionally I DO find myself looking up

facts, statistics, charts and the like

so I can "talk the talk" just a bit

if I DO happen to meet and engage

with a "real" birder on the trail.

Burrowing Owl at Albany Plateau

I mostly see my love of birds as a poetic pastime, an aesthetic avocation, a whimsical pursuit of the magical, mysterious, and mystical aspects of birds, preferring to not know too, too much, deriving (as I do) an inordinate satisfaction from just being in the simple sacred miraculous moment, where "regular life" becomes a series of opportunities to steal away and obsess on birds.

Hummingbird landing

A simple walk to the library or grocery store or a quick garden or weather check turns into a perfect excuse to – hold life's presses! – just stand around in meditative wonderment spotting playful birds, birds at play – and all the many birds at work . . .

Pair of nesting Ospreys

IV. Extraordinary Ordinary Birds

What's all the flap about, Cormorant?

I must have been meant to be a birder, because:

Pretty Peacock (captive in Tracy Aviary)

Well, let's see: at age 12 I once killed little bird

with my bb gun at SLAUGHTER’S POND!

Hah, the irony escaped me all those many years ago!

 Northern Harrier with a snake

Well, let's see: the three main loves in my life

all have name/bird associations.

Cindy "Hawk" (Haq)

Marie "Little Magpie" (Ceccanese)

Mary "Raven" (Corbin)

Magpie in the field (Colorado)

Well, let's see:

down on the RIL-VER (!) someone once asked me:

Acorn Woodpecker goin' at it

"Why do you love birding?"

(cite a few reasons BECAUSE . . .)

Lazuli Bunting staring me down

These little creatures, flitting here and there, adapted to every ecological niche on earth – something only humans have done! – are the EVOLUTIONARY DESCENDANTS of dinosaurs – they are living manifestations of dinosaurs; never went extinct but figured out a way to take to the air.

Majestic Hawk from Lake Tahoe

They force you to pay attention,

see the intricate patterns,

ever-attuned to their inner workings.

Pair of hungry White-tailed Kites at Albany Bulb

Meditative, peaceful, calming, reflective “in the moment” time – SOUNDS ZEN, but it’s true, used to be OBSESSED with getting from point A to point B fast and furious, SLOW DOWN, gain a DEEPER appreciation of Mother Nature.

There's that juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron again at Jewel Lake

Used to be merely the “birds”, nameless, unknown, featureless entities. But get to know them, and their personalities jump out. And you want to get to know them better. No wonder bird lovers are so fanatic and passionate about their subjects, because birds are expressions of freedom and symbols of vitality, merry song-makers without a worry, care or regret.

Spooky Crow

IZAAK WALTON QUOTE:

“ . . . little nimble musicians of the air,

that warble forth their curious ditties,

with which nature hath furnished them

to the shame of art.”

American Bittern surveying marshy domain

Personal paradox / oddity: that what many people consider "common" and normal, I consider exotic and rarely spotted. Thus: Lazuli Bunting, Oven Bird, Kestrel, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Grosbeaks, various never before spotted Warblers, Band-tailed Pigeons, Western Kingbirds, and Red Crossbills, and Violet-green Swallows – SO PRETTY!

Crow with tail reflecting color of pine needles

E-bird reports from places I frequent all the time . . .

BUT TIMING IS EVERYTHING RAP!
The importance of time of year

Being out at “crepuscular hour”

Vulture just in for a landing

Some field days I do spot 30 or more . . .

and 1X or 2X / year:

a holy grail of FIRST SIGHTINGS!

Sora from Tennessee Valley

SORA, PYGMY NUTHATCHES,

VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS

OLIVE-SIDED SWALLOWS, HERMIT WARBLER

Junco bathing in freshet at John Hinkel Park

V. Stories:

Birds Bein' Birds

Musings, observations & stories of

Extraordinary Ordinary Behavior & Moments!

Turkey crossing

Turkey – crosswalk, flying and cat face-off.

Cawing Crow

Some one once told me they would SHOOT a PEACOCK and kill the CROWS for “making too much noise in the mornings.” (Unnnk-aye!)

Bewick’s Wren
somehow became trapped in kitchen window
the bird's panic
then when I came to the rescue
his calm native intelligence took hold

Gull
devouring Seastar

It takes a lot of Gull to devour a Seastar
my snippet published in Bay Nature

Great White Egret
gobbling down fish (with Mom looking on)

Jay
ready to take down dragonfly
with blitzkrieg precision

Peregrine Falcon with prey on SF Bay Shoreline
life and death struggles

Varied Thrush
irruptions became almost “common”
but not

Townsend's Warbler
hot thirsty birds
dipping in cool spring

Finches
enjoying spa session in little spring
 John Hinkel Park in Berkeley

Dark-eyed Junco
obsessed with his image
- or that of an avian doppelganger -
in car mirror

EACH AN EXTRAORDINARY

ORDINARY MOMENT!

Grosbeak (juvenile)

And then there are our . . . Mount Diablo birds. One of my favorite places in the world – Donner / Mitchell / Oat / Curry Canyons, Pine Creek, Deer Flat.

California Quail in Marin County

Although it's always great birding in Mount Diablo, I can't help but feel a bit let down considering how little I actually see of the bird world of Mount Diablo. According to the Mount Diablo Interpretive Association – get your head around this:

Black and White Warbler spotted in Mortar Park in Berkeley

33 varieties of Warblers can be spotted!

(I've probably seen just five varieties in my days.)

Wren (Winter?)

7 species of Wrens and what?

I have seen 3 of them!?

Finch

11 species of Finches and what?

I have seen 3 of them?!?

Pelican

70 distinct breeding and migratory waterfowl

call Mount Diablo home!

Phainopepla, for heaven's sake!

Lazuli Bunting

Such a pretty bird,

but no sign of a Painted Bunting,

Yellow-breasted Chat or Northern Parula!

Camouflaged Sparrow

Two dozen kinds of Sparrows,

mostly indistinguishable . . .

. . . who art thou in the small spring?

Scarlett and Summer Tanagers

Cousins of Western Tanagers,

which I have been fortunate to see,

but these two have so far eluded me!

Dark-eyed Junco

And always baffled, flummoxed and humbled by my inability to ID any number of birds. Some I later learned from an app or my ragged-page bird book, or help from an expert on a group site.

Gila Woodpecker

Curve-billed Thrasher (juvenile)
if I had to make
a wild guess

Vireo or Oriole
of some kind perhaps
but it's only a bad guess

Hooded Oriole

Curve-billed Thrasher

Virginia Rail

Western Kingbird

Acorn Woodpecker
bold faced
working gnarled Blue Oaks

Cardinal and - ?
you tell me!
birds of a different feather

White-breasted Nuthatch
either hammering away
in the high tree top
or ground-feeding

Northern Flicker
skirting away
prominent white ass spot showing
or working bark

Bushtit
hanging upside down like fruit bats
teeming, energetic
cute little cusses

California Towhee
even the "bland" one
can enchant momentarily

Wilson's Warbler

California Thrasher
vocalization unmistakable
for this fine bird of the bush

Brewer's Blackbird
I presume
feeding little ones poking their beaks out of hole in tree

Band-tailed Pigeon

REPEAT: TIMING IS EVERYTHING!

Cedar Waxwings
gathering together

VI. Paying Attention / Conclusion

Scrub Jay

Yet the cute, ubiquitous creatures

operate in plain sight,

all about us,

all day long.

Sapsucker in the Eucalyptus trees

How is it possible to miss them?

Yet we do.

Western Tanager (best I could do)

To appreciate their flitty comings and flighty goings, timing is everything. Noticing and paying attention is another. (DIFFICULT to do.)

Unidentified bird from Peruvian Highlands

Then, and only then,

will we be able to know and recognize birds

as singular, wild creatures,

special freedom-loving individuals of the Earth

who know no boundaries

and owe no human a thing.

BEEP! BEEP! A Roadrunner!
(Seen in Big Bend National Park, Texas)

Take a lesson from old-time naturalist John Burroughs' playbook in the "art of seeing" where "things escape us because the actors are small."

Small actor

Long ago in another time, Burroughs also exhorted us "to look closely and steadily at nature" and take pleasure in the "minute things" about us.

Flamingos (captive in Tracy Aviary)

MY GUIDING PRINCIPLE – finding the spectrum of smallness to be soul satisfying and spiritually rewarding – equal to being on the Merced River in mighty Yosemite or spotting a super-exotic bird. APPRECIATION for the small miracles in my immediate environment.

Giant Hummingbird in sacred Ollantaytambo Valley of Peru

TOLSTOY QUOTE:

"But, ah, what magic awaits,

if only in the name of God . . . 

stop a moment,

cease your work,

look around you."

Gathering of the Gulls at Point Reyes beach

EMERSON QUOTE:

 “ . . . the invariable mark of wisdom

is to see the miraculous in the common.”

The WORD BOTCHER delivering his sermon

We all have the capacity to appreciate MOTHER NATURE in this vein – to “cease our work” – admire the “small actors” and “minute things”, pay attention, notice, and appreciate the miraculous in the common.

Strutting Peacock

THANK YOU / QUESTIONS

Barefoot birder in the Berkeley Hills
Wildcat Gorge Trail

Read my post on birding along Mitchell Creek

in Mount Diablo State Park:

SILENCE, SERENITY & BIRDING DELIGHTS

STROLLING MITCHELL CANYON TRAIL (July 31, 2014)

White-breasted Nuthatch
working the bark

Check out more Gambolin' Man posts

on the magic, mystery & majesty

of Mount Diablo & environs:

KICK-BUTT HIKE UP EAGLE PEAK (2005)

DIABLO FOOTHILLS EXPLORATION (2006)

WILD OAT CANYON ROMP (2007)

EXPLORING THE REALM OF TUYSHTAK:

VASCO CAVES HISTORY & MYSTERY (2009)

MOUNT DIABLO & MOUNT TAMALPAIS: SACRED TWIN PEAKS (2011)

MYSTERY & HISTORY DISCOVERED AT MORGAN TERRITORY (2013)

"UNASSUMING" BRUSHY PEAK ELICITS AWE & WONDER (2022)

Manzanita Tree
durable delights on
the Mountain

Check out a trove of Gambolin' Man videos

of Mount Diablo State Park's

beauty, charms, wonders, magic & mystery:

MOUNT DIABLO BEAUTY & WONDERS THROUGH THE SEASONS

Amphitheater area
prehistoric mortar holes
for grinding acorns