(Posted despite popular demand from a 2009 birding essay).
*Why does Mother’s Day occur at the peak of Spring Migration?* This must have been the idea of some deranged member of Congress. (Excuse the redundancy). Sure, many if not most of us birders love our moms, and are just fine with honoring them, but why not in February, when one is less likely to miss a warbler? Birders have lamented the inconvenient calendric placement of Mom’s Day ever since John James Audubon dumped Mrs. Audubon one May 13th to go afield. Here is a proposal to celebrate Mother’s Day in style and still have a shot at seeing great birds the very same day. I propose a modest solution - take Mom to Phillips County for a Mother's Day excursion she will forever cherish! Your older brother, Mr. Fancy Pants and your bossy “Big Sis” might have been taking Mom to the Bahamas, Paris or Hawaii, but I'll bet they never were thoughtful enough to guide Mother to such a gem-like destination. Be it Haxtun or Holyoke, the sewage ponds of Phillips County beckon! Make the best of it, take Mom on a grand tour of Phillips County, the jewel of the north-eastern plains, a thrill for her AND a birding opportunity for you. I would consider this gesture generous, not selfish, because let's face it, every Mother's Day until now has not been warbler-centric, but has been all about her! Pack up the “bird-mobile,” dust off your spare pair of bins, head northeast from almost anywhere in our state and after a quick four to twelve hour drive - presto, you're there. Whether over the decades Mom has become a seasoned birder or remains a novice, Phillips County will reveal its avian treasures to the sharp-eyed. As a warm-up to spotting the avifauna, why not start with a meal in the cuisine capital, downtown Holyoke? There snuggled together on a single block are truly savory international houses of fine dining - not only gourmet standard American style, but Chinese, Mexican, Sub, Donut Shop and Convenience Store flavors. Then how about shopping for a Mother’s Day card and some gifts on cosmopolitan Interocean Avenue? The Deaver Hardware Store has a sidewalk display of colorful hanging floral baskets. Or let Mom go inside and have her pick of Mother's Day gifts from the enticing "75% off” rack. She'll be surprised at the selection - items she won’t find at Nordstrom’s, where your sister takes her. And at the Haxtun Super, there are special Mom's Day sales on Skoal and Copenhagen for her everyday needs, Carhartt coveralls in denim, canvas and camo and for her garden, 25 lbs of steer manure for $9.99 (bagged) or for as low as $1.99, "bag it yourself." And now let’s go birding! I’d guess that Mom's Phillips County bird list is pretty low. Be sure to have a brand-new notebook, a county checklist and a writing implement. She can't miss Eurasian Collared Doves, Horned Larks are ubiquitous and Swainson's Hawks can be seen without much trouble. Tick ‘em off! If she is squeamish about odiferous emanations from the famed sewage ponds, assure her that the repulsive fragrances are just not going to be a problem, due to their location across the road from the Farfal Brothers' Feed Lot, whose fumes will overpower anything the ponds can throw up at you. And it's not just those little lakes that offer magic. Good migrants can be found along County Road 14 and in the famed migrant traps of Paoli and Amherst. (Check for feeders; some were there in 1992). Next it’s you and Mom strolling arm and arm through the kochia weeds to reach Frenchman’s Creek Wildlife Area. What? It’s bone dry? No ducks! No shorebirds! Oh, well, that’s birding. There’s always a chance to troll the desolate grid of gravel roads northwest of Holyoke for Loggerhead Shrike and kingbirds. That may induce a short nap, which folks Mom’s age will relish. But the excitement must come to an end. As evening falls, and you wend your way home, be patient with your dear Mother. She will want to relive the details of how intense were her labor pains, how numerous were the diapers she changed, and how her hopes and aspirations for your development as a person of character (and wage-earner) were repeatedly dashed, through no fault of her own. But let it all go in one ear and out someplace else while you mentally play back the buoyant songs of the Western Meadowlark, remember the wide-open spaces, feel the high winds and remember the rare ducks floating along - on the sewage ponds of Phillips County. Joe Roller, Denver -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAJpZcUDis-XK54Uh4idZ-6HDVmgFfK5W4JerPg2ep%2Bzede__-A%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
