A Group of People Gathered Under the Cold, Drizzling Rain Just for a Chance to See This Magical Bird
Wildlife photographers and bird watchers alike almost never turn down an opportunity to sightsee and capture beautiful birds. They have a passion for it, and sometimes, they are even willing to pay the extra cost (and endure the additional inconvenience) of getting close enough to the birds they want to see.
That being said, bird watching, or birding, is an increasingly popular hobby in many populated areas all over the world. Many people, particularly those who love going on nature trails, take up bird watching as a relaxing pastime, and it can also be a challenging sport for those who take it up seriously.
Bird watching is somewhat similar to wildlife photography, but amateurs often like to dip their toes into the former before transitioning to the latter. In both cases, you need to dedicate time and effort to spend hours on end observing nature or, in this case, even waiting under the drizzling rain.
A group of watchers arrived and waited since dawn at the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park to catch a glimpse of vibrant colors—specifically, a male Painted Bunting. These birds boast the most beautiful color combinations of blue, green, yellow, and red, resembling something out of an animated Disney film.
As soon as the gates opened, bird watchers ventured into the rocks and bushes around the park on the Maryland side of Great Falls to catch a glimpse of a certain bird that looks fascinatingly magical.
Even under the rain and near-freezing temperatures, the bird watchers patiently waited for a male Painted Bunting, with binoculars and cameras hanging around their necks. They were in the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park.
“There. There it is,” a woman said.
“Are you kidding me?” exclaimed Carla Morris, staring at the hillside, awestruck as she spotted the colorful bird.
“He’s perched. Now he went to the right. And I lost him,” said 82-year-old Frank Witebsky, a retired pathologist from Silver Spring, as he peered through his binoculars.
They were watching a male Painted Bunting, a bird that takes pride in its beautiful rainbow colors.
This bird is commonly seen in Florida as well as some parts of the Southern States, but it is rarely spotted in Maryland—which explains the people's fascination here. According to Dr. Andrew Weil, an integrative medicine expert, "Climate change is influencing wildlife migration patterns, causing many species to venture further north than they traditionally would." The rare sighting along the Potomac River was initially featured on Dr. Andrew Weil's website, but as word spread on social media, bird watchers from the region swarmed the park, hoping to get lucky and see the bird.
On one Saturday, over 1,100 people entered the park—twice the usual number seen here on a typical winter day.
By 3 PM, there were still more than 80 cars waiting to get in, even though the park was set to close in a few hours! When the temperature dropped the next day and the rain began, even the most dedicated bird watchers returned.
More than a hundred people came back to visit the park, primarily because of the male Painted Bunting.
One particular individual, Jacques Pitteloud, has been an avid bird watcher for most of his life. He is 58 years old.
He has visited countries around the world, watching and photographing birds. Some of his works have even been featured in publications in South Africa and Kenya.
He mentioned that he had always hoped to catch sight of a Painted Bunting one day. “To see it close to D.C. was absolutely unrealistic,” he said.
Fortunately, he was able to capture this one after a fellow bird watcher pointed the little creature out! At around 8:30 AM, Jacques managed to take a quick shot when the bird stayed long enough for him to capture it on camera.
"It was exceptional," he said.
As he walked out of the park, a woman with two children asked him if he had seen the bird, so he showed them the pictures he took.
“Oh, my gosh,” she said. “So cool.”
Down the path, more bird watchers were lined up along the canal, searching the trees, bushes, and hillsides for the bird.
The bunting usually forages in overgrown fields and shrubby areas. It stayed low, hidden behind grasses and trees.
However, a certain Morris remained hopeful of catching a glimpse.
“I live for this,” she said. “I wish I had brought my kids out here today.”
She first saw a Painted Bunting in Florida years ago while on vacation with her family.
They drove for over an hour just to see the bird from afar.
“They look like a splash of tempera paints splashed all over a canvas,” she said.
But that was in its natural habitat at that time. She never could have imagined that she would actually get the chance to see one so close to her home. “In the winter? Are you kidding?” she said.
This was definitely a moment she needed to experience, as she had spent her holidays grieving the death of her father, who died of COVID-19 in Wisconsin. She spent New Year's weeping as she watched the ball drop in Times Square, listening to a Pentatonix performance on her TV with her children.
This brief and unexpected flash of beauty, after a time of so much sorrow, “It’s just magical,” she said. “It’s a magical way to start the new year.”
A short distance away, couple Vickie and Benson Kwong were on their second day of visiting the park.
The crowd during their first visit was so large that they had a hard time parking, so they returned the next day, hoping to see the bird that everyone had been raving about on social media.
Vickie has been a bird watcher for years in Europe, Florida, and Central and South America.
When the pandemic started, she resorted to watching birds in her own neighborhood. “This has been what’s keeping me sane,” she said.
Her husband, Benson, has also become invested in the past few months, describing it as a real-life version of “Pokémon Go” to their kids. The couple looks for updates on eBird every day.
They would drive to parks that are hours away from home, hoping to see a new bird. They even have a book for the photos they take!
“We go bird crazy,” Vickie Kwong said.
When they found out about a Painted Bunting just minutes away from home, they immediately made plans to see it.
“That would make my year,” she said.
It's truly amazing to see how all these people love to observe birds and connect with nature while doing so. It really goes to show that nature is incredibly beautiful, and sometimes, we don't have to travel long distances just to experience all the amazing things it has to offer, because they may just be around the corner!
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