Having owned our Littleton, Colorado, farm for 35 years, I have witnessed the arrival and departure of various avian species as the seasons change. For the most part, their schedule has remained reliably predictable.
One of our regular winter residents has been a Townsend's solitaire, arriving in October and returning to the mountains by mid April. Of course, based on a reported lifespan of up to seven years, this annual tenant has been represented by five or more individuals.
This winter, the solitaire has yet to arrive, despite an abundant crop of juniper berries on which it feeds. Though I come and go myself, I have not seen the bird nor heard its distinctive calls since last spring. Knowing that nature and her cast of characters can be fickle does not diminish my disappointment; hopefully, he/she will have checked in by the time I return.
