The Mystery of Oleander Street was finally solved by our good neighbors, Steve and Betsy. I had said “Hey keep an eye on that car parked down there on your empty, wild lot. He could be a sancho or something worse.”
It turns out the guy is an internationally known bird photographer. He felt a little sheepish about camping on Steve’s land so he gave him a huge glossy book about raptors of the US, a truly awesome tome.
Now here’s where it gets interesting. Not only had this guy set up a bird blind, like a tent, but he also had put out grapefruit, water, and all kinds of bird goodies. We met Tom the pro birder (his tripod was worth more than all our cameras combined) and he was all excited about “the fallout.”
That’s when a spring norther comes through and the migrating birds literally hit the Island from exhaustion. I walked the dog about 2:00 and there must have been 150 birds around the bushes, in the space of about three puny Island-sized lots. There are only three primo spots on the Island, and apparently our street is one of the tops! Sheepshead and the Convention Center are the other favorites.
I wish I my cams were working, as I pointed and turned dials and the batteries all went dead. Lordy, why me and why now? But I took Lori down there after work for a gander and we saw a few Baltimore Orioles before dusk. Beautiful bird. It made her day so I got happy again.
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