Watch where you walk!

Usually when someone tells you to watch where you are walking while out and about to avoid stepping on something, birds are not what comes to mind. Well, yesterday I came very close to stepping on a Winter Wren.

The woods was very quite yesterday morning, so I phished at a brushy area to see what would pop up. My eyes quickly caught birdy movement, but I couldn't make out what it was. I continued to phish and up popped a Winter Wren!

It didn't stay in view long, as they seldom do. I was able to get the above quick shot before it disappeared to the ground.

I then went about my walk. The woods was quiet enough to hear leaves falling. I could hear something ruffling around in the leaves on the ground. I didn't pay much attention to it, as I thought that it was a rodent under the leaves. I then saw a little head pop up from the leaves - it was the Winter Wren.

It was very camouflaged and very hard to see in the poor lighting of the forest floor. I have shown a few birders their lifer Winter Wrens, as they are sometimes hard to spot. Many people's first instinct is to look on top of the log, like a Carolina Wren, but I say "look UNDER the log".

As I continued walking, the Winter Wren followed me. I think he was taking advantage of the insects that I was kicking up with my shoes. At one point, it came within only a few inches of my shoe and I almost stepped on 'em! If it wasn't for that little tail sticking out of the leaves...

See if you can spot the Winter Wren in the photo below (click on the pic for a larger pic).