Unlimited edition. 18 x 24 inch, museum-quality poster on matte paper.

During my two weeks visiting Japan in May 2024, I occasionally slipped out after birds early in the morning. I encountered only one other birder during these outings. A Japanese woman in her fifties or sixties was in the northeastern corner of the Kyoto Gyoen National Garden looking for owls; I was there for the same reason. We politely nodded at each other before resuming our roosting raptor scans. Suddenly, very nearby, a melodious birdsong. I’d no idea what was singing, but I wanted to see the source of that lovely voice. So, too, did my fellow birder, though I expect she may have known what we were hearing. For the next fifteen minutes, the two of us tried to get a glimpse of the singing bird. We quietly moved, together yet separate, through that area of the park’s understory. Based on the movement of the song, the bird was flitting through the middle canopy, pausing here and there to exercise his pipes. I was as frustrated by my inability to see the bird as I was amused by the quiet, slow motion birder ballet we humans danced. I was just about to hang up my pointe shoes when a brilliant flash of yellow-orange caught my eye. Once I’d spotted the bird, I was able to track its movements, and I had plenty of good looks, as did my dance partner.

It wasn’t until I was back in my hotel room, getting ready for the day, that I had a chance to identify the striking bird I’d seen: a male narcissus flycatcher flashing its brilliant orange peel, canary yellow, and gold breeding getup. Given that this was mid-May, the bird had probably recently arrived from his wintering grounds in Borneo or the Philippines. I learned that the males arrive first to build a nest and start singing – because you don’t want to be the last guy stepping out.

Even though their population remains robust, narcissus flycatchers are described as “uncommonly encountered and inconspicuous” (except for the male’s song). It’s hard to believe that a bird with so much flair would go unnoticed, but it did take a long while for two birders to locate it in a relatively small area – so inconspicuous, indeed! The female, very unlike the male, lacks any bold or bright colors; she’s generally described as a dull olive or buff brown. The common name of the species is drawn from the male’s brilliant bib, a reference to the bright yellow of some narcissus flowers. Unlike the Greek youth from which that plant takes its name, however, it’s pretty obvious the male narcissus flycatcher is not especially interested in self love. 🎶 Hey, Hey, ladies in the place, I'm callin' out to ya 🎶

Note: These archival poster prints feature rich, appealing colors. I encourage customers to take care in handling them until they are framed/protected for display; the darker colors on the matte paper can be scratched. They ship rolled, so customers need to flatten them before framing (or have their framer do so).

Charitable Sales Model: Whenever one of these poster prints is purchased, a charitable contribution equal to 10% of the print’s cost (or $3.60) is made to a nonprofit working to tackle environmental or social challenges. Read more about my charitable sales model here.