The gray bird did its ballet dancer imitation, stretching for the just-out-of-reach juniper berries. Perched on a snow-covered branch, it gained a little lift with a bit of wing fluttering before falling off.
Three sightings and several bird books later, I finally felt comfortable with the identification of a Townsend’s solitaire. It had spent much of its time either backlit by the low winter sun or sticking to the shadows, and it isn’t common here during winter, so the identification wasn’t a snap.
I e-mailed the one digital photograph to a friend. She called after seeing it, and her enthusiastic voice delivered a reminder to value those small surprises.
John Townsend had more than his share of nature-related surprises, many described in "Narrative of a Journey Across the Rocky Mountains" about his part of an 1834-35 expedition across the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean.
Townsend’s travels resulted in his name being associated with several new species, either in the common name (Townsend’s big-eared bat) or scientific (Piute ground squirrel or Spermophilus townsendii).
There are also a sedge, jackrabbit, cord grass, daisy, warbler, gopher, mole and vole that bear his name.
Townsend’s ornithological contributions were overshadowed by Audubon. He was forced to sell his specimen collection when times were hard — much of it to Audubon, who put many of Townsend’s findings and descriptions into his "American Ornithology."
According to the University of Iowa Natural History Museum, Townsend once shot an unusual owl that he planned to preserve but his friends roasted and ate it. He had collected snakes but the camp cook drank the whiskey slated for preservation.
Townsend had his own formula for a powder used in preserving his specimens but the secret ingredient — arsenic — killed him at age 42.
His name lives on in the smaller-than-a-robin dark gray bird with the white eye-ring, short bill, not-always-visible narrow white edges on the tail and upright posture.
It’s in the same family as bluebirds, thrushes and robins, and is usually seen alone, thus the name.
The solitaire’s habitat is higher-elevation coniferous forests in the summer (common in Washington), lower elevations in the winter (uncommon). It’s usually seen in the middle to high levels of trees.
While it eats insects, worms and spiders for much of the year, it thrives on juniper berries during the winter, and can be aggressive about defending berry territory, even against other species. This particular solitaire did, indeed, do a bit of posturing to run off a robin.
Floating fund-raiser: The Adopt-a-Stream Foundation’s fund-raiser is for the birds. Buy a ticket to float down the Upper Skagit River and watch the eagles on Feb. 7.
Participants should be at least 6 years old and weigh 40 pounds or more. Cost is $65 per person. Call 425-316-8592.
Living large: The West Coast’s largest boat show opened Friday for a 10-day run that ends Jan. 25.
Expect 1,000 boats, accessories, seminars and promotions at the Seahawks Exhibition Center, along with 200 craft floating at Chandler’s Cove on Lake Union. A free shuttle will move folks between the two sites.
Single-day admission is $9 for adults, $5 for ages 11-17; free for children 10 and under. A 10-day pass is $18 and includes a day of free parking, a free cup of clam chowder and a free one-year subscription to SEA Magazine and Go Boating Magazine.
For more information, see www.seattleboatshow.com.
Columnist Sharon Wootton may be reached at 360-468-3964 or www.songandword.com.
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