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Spark Bird: Nick Belardes and the Vermilion Flycatcher
“It’s a jewel.”
© Peder Toftegaard Olsen
Author Nick Belardes was walking at a park near his home in San Luis Obispo, California, when he saw a man who seemed in tune with birds. Belardes asked him what the coolest bird around was, and the man replied Vermilion Flycatcher. Belardes and his wife soon went out looking for the ruby-like bird, finally spotting it through rain and mist. He remembers that sighting as a turning point that drew him deeper into the world of birds.
BirdNote®
Spark Bird: Nick Belardes and the Vermilion Flycatcher
Written by Mark Bramhill
Mark Bramhill: This is BirdNote.
[Music: “Come on Over” by Blue Dot Sessions]
Several years ago, author Nick Belardes was walking at a park near his home in San Luis Obispo, California...
Nick Belardes: When I saw this guy, he seemed in tune with birds. He was listening, doing his thing. So of course I interrupted his moment. I kind of wanted what he had, this hidden knowledge, this open-minded love of nature of what surrounds you. So I asked, “Hey man, what's the coolest bird around here right now?” and he had an immediate answer and he said, “Vermilion Flycatcher — it's a jewel.”
[Vermilion Flycatcher song, ML 40531]
Mark Bramhill: Nick was intrigued. He Googled for the bird and found a place where there had been several recent sightings, and went there with his wife the next day. But the weather…
[QP0269 Thunder Clap, QP0300 Strong Rain, QP0306 Moderate Rain]
Mark Bramhill: …wasn’t cooperating.
Nick Belardes: It's rainy and misty, bordering on miserable. I’m just thinking this is the worst moment to try and find a needle in a haystack. I was about to give up when my wife spots something flutter out of some reeds.
[Vermilion Flycatcher song, ML 51001021]
Nick Belardes: I mean, this thing is a glorious ruby. It's a shining jewel of plumage and attitude. This bird is a show-off.
[Vermilion Flycatcher song, ML 51001021]
Mark Bramhill: Now, Nick goes birding almost every day. But he remembers that first Vermilion Flycatcher as a turning point.
Nick Belardes: I still feel the fire from that little encounter and the electrifying flames of that ruby plumage and still feel what they seared into me.
[Vermilion Flycatcher song, ML 40531]
Mark Bramhill: For BirdNote, I’m Mark Bramhill.
###
Senior Producer: John Kessler
Production Manager: Allison Wilson
Producer: Mark Bramhill
Associate Producer: Ellen Blackstone
Digital Producer: Conor Gearin
Music: “Come on Over” by Blue Dot Sessions
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Vermilion Flycatcher ML 40531 recorded by G. Keller, and Vermillion Flycatcher ML 51001021 recorded by W. Egelhoff. BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2021 BirdNote November 2021 Narrator: Mark Bramhill
ID# sparkbird-11-2021-11-17 sparkbird-11
Mark Bramhill
Writer NarratorSights & Sounds
