Emerald Creek Falls offers bird watching for experts and novices.

Terry and I tagged along on a day trip with two expert birders. Our destination was Emerald Creek because there was some internet buzz that a rare Australian bird had been spotted there. We stopped quite often on the drive over since birds were being spotted left and right. When we got to the creek, I started to sketch while they explored with binoculars and spotting scopes. The last time I was on an outing like this it was with a group looking for a rare elusive three toed woodpecker. The pack went off into the woods and I decided to stay in the parking lot in the warm car. A three toed woodpecker flew right into the parking lot giving me a front row seat. When the pack of birders returned they were upset since all their calls and high tech equipment had failed to yield a single sighting.

In Australia I wasn’t as lucky but I got a fine sketch of the creek and the poor tree that had been scared by the love affair of Roy and Kat. Perhaps these two got matching tattoos as well. Perhaps in a decade the tree’s scar will heal but they could take their tattoos to their graves. I worked quickly on the sketch and finished just as the birders returned.