Photographer: George Armistead   Destination: USA - The Lower 48

The Wrentit is a homebody. It's a funny bird. With its bouncing ball song, and its very narrow range along the Pacific coast of the U.S., from Oregon on south through California and into Baja, it is heard more often than seen. Neither a wren nor a tit, its affinities have long been debated. While it is currently regarded as a member of the Parrotbill family, it is the sole member of the genus Chamaea, and still its family status is enshrouded in doubt. Some would place it in a new family apart from the Parrotbills, the Paradoxornithidae; the name of which evidences just how puzzling they are to those who study them!
 
What we do know, however, is that much like all of us over the past few months, the Wrentit hardly moves. Some authorities advance it is the most sedentary bird in North America. It is a fact that most never ever venture more than a few hundred meters from where they fledge, usually keeping well within a half mile of their natal grounds. So many of our birds are such prodigious travelers. Consider the Arctic Tern who seldom sees darkness, relative to most birds, breeding in arctic or sub-arctic areas and then "wintering" into the southern reaches of the Southern Ocean during summer there. Some may cover over 25,000 miles annually. Or consider the spectacular recently documented movements of shorebirds or seabirds, or even the little Blackpoll Warblers who are only just now winging their way back to their breeding grounds in Canada and Alaska after having wintered in South America. 
 
The Wrentit on the other hand hangs tight. It sees the warblers, tanagers and other birds who disappeared for winter, returning to the humid woodlands and chaparral to breed. It does not consider where they went so much, but perhaps only wonders why they ever left to begin with. As we watch stay-at-home orders relaxed and lockdowns lifted, the Wrentit's sedentary nature make it a good choice for this month's image. So many of us were forced to transform a bit from Arctic Tern to Wrentit, and now we look ahead, wondering about our next transition. This image was taken during the always fabulous San Diego Birding Festival in 2019, where RJ guides Adam Walleyn and George Armistead represented Rockjumper. We look forward to seeing our community safely reconnect at events like this, and forge ahead during what has been a most troubling time. Lucky for us, we have birds.
 
Catch up with our guides on our blog, if you're curious how Rockjumper Tour Leaders have spent the last couple months at home. And consider a trip later this year with them to Texas, Cape May, or reach out to our Tailor-Made Team if you're interested in custom travel with your friends and/or family. In the meantime, stay safe and try and enjoy whatever birds present themselves to you. The present, as the saying goes, is a gift after all. It is a gift that birds have delivered to us for so very long now.

 

USA - Texas: Rio Grande Valley Specialties
22 - 27 Oct 2020 (6 days)
Tour price: USD1,800 *GBP1,408 *EUR1,630 *ZAR28,453

 

USA - Pennsylvania & New Jersey: Fall Migration at its Finest
10 - 17 Oct 2020 (8 days)
Tour price: USD3,200 *GBP2,504 *EUR2,897 *ZAR50,582