I almost got the pine grosbeak while we were in Estes Park. Took a walk on the Fern Lake Trail. Heard a bird singing. I recognize a lot a bird songs. This was not one I recognized. I had listened to what the pine grosbeak sounded like before I went on my walk. I was looking for it. The bird singing sounded kind of like the pine grosbeak recording. You have to allow for regional differences; dialects. I needed to see it to confirm. It kept singing. It was in a big ponderosa pine next to the trail. I circled the tree. The bird kept singing. I had my binoculars. I couldn’t find him.
I have a little trouble locating birds now. It has to do with hearing. If only my hearing would degenerate in both ears equally. Sound directs you where to look. A slight inequality in hearing directs your eyes to the wrong place. Then you just have to guess. The problem is: Judy wasn’t with me. We hear birds. We both look. Judy tells me where it is.
Judy wasn’t there. I almost got the pine grosbeak.
