What I mean by “bird dropping” is the ornithological version of name dropping. You hear it when you run into committed birders. It’s not their fault. If a guy sees a Hudsonian Godwit, what’s he supposed to say? But still, there’s that smack of bird dropping. It’s unavoidable.
Well, I’ve got a bird to drop. But I’ve been keeping it in reserve for some day when I feel the need to drop it. Ah, skip that. I’m not into bird dropping; I’ll mention it in a moment.
But before I do, another example comes to mind: Last May I was in the woods looking up at a Scarlet Tanager. Not an uncommon bird, but its two-tone coloration interests me. A bird guru with a long lens came hiking into my space, and asked me what I was looking at. He shrugged off the sighting, saying that a Summer Tanager would have been more worth spotting. One had been rumored to be around, and that’s what he assumed I was looking for. The Scarlet Tanager was beneath his interest.
Summer Tanager. A good name to bird-drop. But not as good as the one I’ve been saving. Here goes: Phainopepla. That’s right, Phainopepla. Ever see one? Ever hear of one? I saw this fairly uncommon black-crested flycatcher in Arizona. They’re from a Central American group of birds, but some are found in a wedge of territory near the Sonoran Desert.
At first I thought it was a Steller’s Jay. Those western Jays can be dark. Then I realized, wait, it’s all black, no blue. And the crest is wispy. Also, the bird was skinnier than a Jay. When it flew, I thought I saw white patches on its wings, like the wings of a Mockingbird. This was a pretty rare bird.
I needed a field guide to be sure, and there it was. Phainopepla. What a great, unusual name. Most people I know have never seen a Phainopepla. Most people can’t even pronounce it. I’m not sure I’m pronouncing it right. People hear “Phainopepla” and they don’t know you’re talking about a bird. It sounds like a stomach disorder.
If you want to be a bird dropper, you come back from a walk somewhere in Arizona and say, yeah, I saw some Abert’s Towhees today (not “towhees,” but “Abert’s Towhees”) and, oh yeah, a Phainopepla.
If you get a blank stare, that makes the bird dropping all the better. If you’re talking to a knowledgeable birder you might get a jealous stare. Phainopeplas, like Hudsonian Godwits aren’t everyday occurances. And speaking of towhees, what about the Inyo California Towhee? Ever see one of those? Okay, no more bird dropping for today. It can get messy.
