327 : Palm Warbler

Palm Warbler - Dendroica palmerum

So back to the land of Mickey for another business trip but this time in the Winter months so you would expect a few things to drift down from the North seeking out walker clines. Here is one that could not have been there on my last trip. This little fellow and his or her mates down from the North to hide away at the Grande Lakes Marriot in Orlando.

It was a 16 hours each way Yo-Yo with literally 3/4 days in the middle - I even had to speak after dinner. I managed to escape I think for 3 hours before the thing kicked off properly and took a walk down the side of lake next to a golf course. A bit manicured - but here and there quite nice rough bits of meadow with flowers and butterflies. Rough equals food equals birds.

I lay down like a Dhillon to take this (Dhillon is my Obi One and only met him once for 2 days in India - see back !!). "Down be with bird" he might say. So there I lay prostrate - is that a gland or a posture - anyway it was humiliating as all these big lawyer types were jogging past to oxygenate themselves for the conference. Men and Women - running past what I guess is the equivalent of a Dunlin. But we know better. Some stopped and asked.

"Hey buddy what Ya photographing - Oh sorry just a Palm Warbler". "What you looking at ?" - "Oh nothing - Just a butterfly "

I felt justified a day or so later bouncing up on to the stage to Viva Las Vegas after dinner to do the entertainment. I should have switched the slides from films to birds and butterflies.

"What is this US species of blue butterfly - which insect larvae does it predate whilst in a pupae form using a special pheromone to infiltrate the nest. 100 m years of evolution folks ?"

I get it - we all have jobs and we all jog. I have walked on the edge of many many built up areas. I think people are just shy to stop and look - the popularity of wildlife programmes tells us otherwise.

I cannot believe that people can jog past this stuff. "This shit takes my breath away" in the words of the Divine Comedy.

This "Shit" is metres away. Its everywhere. Get prostrate xx

Palm Warbler, Dendroica Palmerum
Marrit, Grand Lakes, Orlando, Florida USA
7 November 2015