Yesterday was one of those rare days that I just didn't want to end. It started out on a good note right from the get go, when Eagle Eyes and I were able to re-find several important nests that we saw the week before in Baltimore. All week long we had been repeatedly thwarted in our attempts to check nests by various unknown forces working against us. We'd go to check a nest that was supposed to have almost-ready-to-fledge nestlings only to find it empty. Sometimes I think we misjudged the age of the nestlings early on, so that when we returned they had in fact just fledged. (In one case at a site near Foggy Bottom I am certain this is what happened as I could see the female feeding the fledgeling in a bush near the old nest-- oh that was such a letdown and so frustrating, the fledgeling just out of reach for weighing and banding). In other cases, I'm certain the nest was depredated as there is no way the young were old enough to fledge yet the nest was empty. Our site near Chevy Chase has been the worst for this. Time after time, I get my hopes up only to return to find a nest empty (crows? grackles? free roaming cats? there is no way to tell which predator is the culprit). In some cases, we couldn't even find the nest, it had disappeared completely over a period of time in which we got no rain (aliens? the heck if I know). The lesson here: don't get too emotionally involved in the outcome of individual nests, or you are pretty much guaranteed to be let down a whole lot. Most nests fail, period.
During our morning stint at Baltimore, I got to engage in some of my fun TGIF tree climbing antics (seems every Friday is a big day for tree climbing-- sorry no pictures this time). When I'm nervous, I giggle. When I'm terrified, I laugh (really, this isn't such an unusual response to stress, I've seen others laugh their heads off when about to get eaten by some aggressive animal in veterinary medicine). I got up into this tree, then realized I was in a bit over my head, so sat down on a branch and proceeded to laugh and laugh. I did finally get a view of the nest that was so high up in this tree. Meanwhile Eagle Eyes was patiently answering questions from a passer-by below, leaving me to negotiate coming down on my own. That was entertaining. ("So what is that strange woman doing laughing like a lunatic up in that tree? And why are the robins dive bombing her head?" I don't know, could she be temporarily stuck on a limb near their nest???) As a result of this incident, Eagle Eyes has nicknamed me Monkey Girl. An apt name, but I think I will keep posting as Hermit Thrush nonetheless.
After we were done at Baltimore, my advisor and I returned to the site near Chevy Chase to try to access a nest I had been unable to reach yesterday but was due to fledge at any moment. I learned a new trick-- when the ladder is in danger of sliding off unsturdy spindly branches or bamboo-like shoots you are using for support, tie the ladder to the supporting branches themselves. This enabled my advisor to finally reach the nest, which was very satisfying for me as it had been a rather hard find that took two days work and permission from two separate properties to get a really good view of. It's nice to end the work week on a positive note, with a difficult achievement.
Then it was off to see Hamlet in Rock Creek Park. What a perfect day to be outside, warm yet not too hot or humid. There is perhaps no better way to finish off a Friday in spring than with a picnic and a play. I sat in the amphitheater watching the sun go down, listening to the high pitched chirps of the chimney swifts overhead and trills of the wood thrushes in the forest, wishing the day would not end. I wanted the perfect weather, the wonderful feeling of having accomplished my goals at work and the relaxing atmosphere to last a few more hours.
And in fact, I did stay up into the next day, with good company, good music and a good time. If only every Friday could be so satisfying.
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