It was an ordinary Sunday morning on the deck — breakfast and newspaper — and I'd been keeping my eye on a couple of robins who were pecking around in the backyard. There were some doves back there, too, and downy woodpeckers at the feeder.
A sudden flap of wings and there he was: extravagant, debonair. I didn't know what he was at first, only that I'd never seen him before. I marveled at his polka-dotted breast, his crescent-shaped black bib, his long beak and intelligent eyes, which for several long seconds seemed to be looking straight at me.
After he flew away, I flew inside ... to find the bird book and identify him. It didn't take long. He could have posed for this photo, although he did not. His stay was brief — but post-worthy.
(Photo: Courtesy Cornell Lab: All About Birds.)