We heard a purple finch singing and from the house watched the male display up and down the walkway. He dragged his wings on the ground and fluttered them constantly while all the time a cascade of warbling notes simply poured out of him. Back and forth, back and forth for minutes on end. We could not see the little female but you can be sure she was watching him too. As the dapper little bird strutted back and forth like some tropical bird on its lek, a bower bird or bird of paradise, Ken whispered appreciatively that birders pay huge sums and travel miles for a show like he was putting on.
Later, when I wanted a photograph to share with you all I took out my new iPad with the fabulous app called iBird Pro that allows you (something like 99 cents for the app!) to call up the bird by name, press on the spot for speaker, and presto! the bird's song. I played it once and he appeared atop this spruce. Not only that, a nearby male immediately started to challenge from his spruce top. Who indeed was this new intruder, they queried, that dared appear where these two had already declared the boundary line was between their two territories? Chastened, I quickly snapped the picture, closed the iPad and retreated. I certainly did not want to be responsible for either of their mates deciding that these guys were anything less than heroes.
Later, when I wanted a photograph to share with you all I took out my new iPad with the fabulous app called iBird Pro that allows you (something like 99 cents for the app!) to call up the bird by name, press on the spot for speaker, and presto! the bird's song. I played it once and he appeared atop this spruce. Not only that, a nearby male immediately started to challenge from his spruce top. Who indeed was this new intruder, they queried, that dared appear where these two had already declared the boundary line was between their two territories? Chastened, I quickly snapped the picture, closed the iPad and retreated. I certainly did not want to be responsible for either of their mates deciding that these guys were anything less than heroes.
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