Birding in the rain
By DON MORROW
Before leaving for St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge this morning, I had studied the weather radar and worked things out very carefully. It was a perfect plan. The rain would clear out at 6 a.m. just as I arrived.
Unfortunately, my calculations were slightly off and I found myself parked on the side of the road in the dark at the Double Bridges in a steady downpour.
I opened the car window to listen for owls, but rain was coming into the car. Because I had not planned on rain, I hadn’t carried a rain parka but I keep a small, hi-tech folding umbrella in the car. I stuck the umbrella out and pushed the button on the umbrella’s handle. The umbrella extended and unfolded with a satisfying snap. I sat and listened for owls as the rain drummed down on the umbrella canopy.
Tiring of this, I decided to go for a walk in the rain, which meant that I had to close the umbrella. This involved pressing the handle button, which collapsed the canopy, but left the umbrella shaft extended. I pulled it in, closed the window and stepped out of the car, manually pushing the umbrella runner, the metal piece at the base of the umbrella ribs, to extend the canopy.
The umbrella canopy has a wide coverage and I was dry and comfortable as I walked along.
A grunting Chuck-wills-widow flew by me and then I heard the low tremulous calling of a Barred Owl. It was about this time that the umbrella canopy, which had not locked in place, collapsed. Thinking quickly, I grabbed the runner to pull it all the way down to the handle. This would reset the umbrella and allow me to use the handle button to reopen and lock the canopy in place. Unfortunately, in my haste, my fingers slipped and the spring-loaded, high-tech umbrella went airborne and landed five feet away, leaving me uncovered in the steady predawn rain.
I eventually managed to get the umbrella open, making a mental note to buy a cheap plastic low-tech rain poncho.
The rain finally tapered off and stopped just after sunrise and a strong east wind sprang up, which helped to dry me out.
There were some good birds. Northern Bobwhite and a Yellow-breasted Chat were calling along the edge of Lighthouse Road.
There was an American Avocet on Stony Bayou and Lighthouse Pool had oystercatchers, godwits and a late Red-breasted Merganser.
I managed to get Black Tern and a Swallow-tailed Kite over East River Pool, but my second stop at the Double Bridges in mid-morning had no birds.
It was just a quick trip to the refuge. However, despite my technical umbrella problems, it was a good morning.
Don Morrow can be reached at donaldcmorrow@gmail.com.