One of the best parts of birding on a regular basis is that you end up having lots of interesting experiences resulting in lots of stories. This morning I had an experience that in my mind is worthy of sharing.

This whole spring, I have been playing a little game with myself. The challenge is to photograph all of the common spring migrant songbirds and since I have been able to stay close to home this entire spring I have done quite well. The one bird that has really been an unexpected challenge is the Ovenbird, one of my favorite warblers. I have seen several of them over the past couple of weeks but the circumstances have been such that I haven’t managed a presentable photo.

This morning I spotted one walking along a trail in one of my favorite migration hotspots. I tried to get into position for a photo but the bird flew out of sight before I could click off any photos. A bit later someone told me that they had seen an Ovenbird nearby so I decided to check it out. When I arrived at the location, I could hear and then see a commotion on the side of the trail. The Ovenbird was flapping around on its side with its foot in the mouth of a small snake. I know it is often frowned upon to interfere with nature but I just couldn’t help myself. I moved toward the snake and as I reached down to pick it up the snake let go of the bird. I don’t believe I was robbing the snake of a meal; the bird was larger than the snake so I can’t imagine the snake could have swallowed it.

As soon as the Ovenbird’s leg was free it once again flew off out of sight. I watched and waited for the bird to return but there was no sign of him. However, while I was waiting, I heard the familiar clicking sound of a camera taking photos and turned around to find out that the Ovenbird had just been visiting a water feature to bathe.

I ended up waiting by the water for an hour or so before “my” bird returned and was able to click this photo. I’m glad that the bird didn’t seem to be too badly injured during its encounter with the snake.


www.texastargetbirds.com

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Seiurus aurocapilla