Six hopeful and one pessimistic birder made another attempt to see the Le Conte’s Sparrow at Dyess AFB Saturday morning. I’m admitting that I was the pessimistic one. After all, I had made numerous trips to the site, each time coming up with nothing. OK, maybe we’ll see the bird but it won’t cooperate for all of us to see it. Ha! Not only did we see it, but it let us come within ten feet of it. It posed in a stunning frontal view, then turned around and posed for all to see the beautifully patterned back, then hopped to its side and showed off its golden glow. After about six minutes it plunged into the thick tall grass and resumed its secretive nature. Fickle bird, gorgeous golden phantom of the grass, don’t you know your unpredictable antics are what makes birding exhilarating?

More photos of the phantom of the grass can be seen in the Serendipitous March Morning Gallery. I’m going to bed awed, grateful for my six optomistic friends.