Ornithological history was made today as the first photographic images of the rare and elusive Falls Brush Fowl were made public. Seldom seen and rarely heard this bird was photographed by the park’s unofficial artist in residence. The Falls of the Ohio is the same area where the legendary John James Audubon began his drawings for his monumental undertaking, “The Birds of America”. Audubon, however, never recorded seeing this bird.
The specimen appears to be a male in full courtship display. This bird was not particularly wary as it strutted it’s stuff on several prominant logs and branches often in bright sunlight. The Falls Brush Fowl is known for the fan it creates from its tail feathers, much in the manner of grouse. Dancing gingerly it trills its song into the deep underbrush, while its head is framed by a ring of pink feathers. The exact numbers of this bird are unknown.
No response was noted from the male Falls Brush Fowl’s display. As reclusive as the males are…the females are even more difficult to approach. Nothing is known abouts its nest, eggs, clutch size, incubation period and chicks have never been seen. Speculation exists that the eggs may be deposited in a hole covered with rotting vegetation. The heat generated from the decay of leaf matter incubates the eggs, but this has never been proven. The bird is more myth than fact and the photos are welcomed by the scientific community and the general bird-loving public.
Other birds noted in the area this day include: the Chestnut-sided Warbler seen in the above photo. Small groups of mixed species traveled and fed together among the willow and cottonwood trees. It was not unusual to find Yellow Warblers, Magnolia Warblers, Carolina Chickadees, and Indigo Buntings harvesting small caterpillars.
Lastly, yesterday’s figure entitled the “Time Keeper” was spotted in an a different location. A park visitor moved the piece inside a wood structure called the “Old Colonel’s Wishing Well”…a curiousity deposited by the last high water. I’m sure there is a story surrounding that object and if anyone out there knows it…I would love to hear it!
A beautiful spring day and a perfect time to sit by the river. The greening trees are alive with the fresh colors of migratory birds. Somewhere off in the distance is a sound or more accurately a vibration that piques your interest. Since the hearing is going you need something to focus the sound.
… diesel engines crossing over the bridge………. Alright, so it won’t win any literary prizes, but it was fun to do. The train picture is recent, but the figure is long gone…was it last year or the one before that? I think I need something to focus my memory too. This figure, as usual, is made from various found elements…polystyrene foam, driftwood, and plastic. The nose I remember was the handle of a broken paint brush. One of the eyes is a fishing bobber and the other…who knows? I thought the found bottle of sports drink added a nice color note. This piece was up for awhile, before it was carried away by a flood.
From a previous post…you know I’m into birds and since this is migration season, I’m at the Falls of the Ohio as often as I can get a few hours to get away. I do keep a list of what I see in this park based on their official checklist that includes 268 recorded species. I’m almost half way there! I suppose I would have to live at the park year round to not miss any opportunities as long as the birds were willing to cooperate. The birds, however, have their own time-honored agendas and I try to be present in their moments. This season is shaping up to be a late one and I haven’t seen nearly the number of species I saw last year, but there is still time. The last two days have brought some surprises which I was able to get a few snapshots to share with you. Here are two new species for me at the Falls of the Ohio State Park.
Artist at Exit 0 Riverblog 