[mou] chatty chat, Bell's vireos

[linda]

Having viewed only the back of the chat as it took off (despite Deanne's 
valiant effort to help me see it!), I made another brief try this 
afternoon. The bird was in the same general area as before, out by the 
third set of power structures, close to the tank farm. This time, 
however, it began vocalizing from the north side of the path, in short, 
thick shrubs, clearly only 8 to 10 feet off the trail. All I could 
detect visually was some movement deep in the foliage. After a minute, 
the sound seemed to be emanating from two different parts of the 
thicket, in a call-and-response pattern, though never overlapping to 
confirm the presence of two birds.

The chatter was certainly distinct, punctuated with whistles, chortles, 
and clucks. It was amusing enough that I had to suppress a laugh, but 
he/she/they had the last laugh: one of them streaked out over the path 
just as I was turning around, and this time it gave a glimpse of yellow 
underneath the dark uppers. No way could I get the binoculars up; no way 
could I glimpse the white vent area, nor the facial marks. Meanwhile, of 
course, the rain was spitting, and the linens were no longer drying on 
the clothes line at home.(No wonder the birds were chuckling.)

Thankfully, the two Bell's vireos near the first power structure had 
been singing in plain sight--another lifer, after all!

Linda Whyte
(undeterred)