More birds reside within the woods of Cormanthor than any other type of
animal, but you wouldn't know it if you were walking through the forest. The
animals in these woods, especially in the impressive starwoods, are strangely
silent most of the time. This is because the thick branches deny predators the
ability to see their prey, so they must rely on other senses. The most important
of these is hearing, and so the silent vegitarian seems to hold a much better
chance of survival than the noisy one.
However, if you know where to look, and what season to look in, you will find
Cormanthor to be full-a-bursting with feathered fauna of all sizes and shapes.
In the outer woods, or rimwood, you will find mostly sparrows, robins, swallows,
and the occasional jay or lark. Of these, the only one hardy enough to stay a
winter in the area is the robin. The others fly to warmer climes sometime around
Higharvestide, or slightly thereafter, depending on the weather. The best place
to see bluejays and morning larks is on the northern most border of the rimwood
and the midwood, as they seem to enjoy the thinner trees and frequent clearings
found in this area. Swallows are very teritorial, and can be found just about
anywhere, but there be few or no other birds present near large flocks of
swallows. Robins and sparrows can be found anywhere, but are still quite
interesting to watch, especially if you can get close to one of their nests.
Aurora's wholerealms sells a device called a "treeseat" which works remarkably
well for this. Robins are quite bold and surprisingly tolerant of visitors.
Sparrows are quite the opposite. They will fly off at the first hint of danger,
so bring your best treant costume if you intend to go sparrow watching.
In the ash and beech forests that make up the midwoods, you will find many of
the same birds you saw in the rimwoods, but also various plovers, coots,
pheasants, turkeys, quail, and grouse. Along the shores of Lake Sember, one can
also find several varieties of ospreys, geese, terns, pipers, herons, and of
course ducks. Grouse, turkies, and phesants all winter in the woods, but the
others seek out warmer climates, and have been found as far south as Zakhara in
the case of a stray gaggle of geese I once heard about. The best vantage for
enjoying a view of shore birds is a small boat in the middle of the lake. The
birds fly overhead to go fishing quite often, especially in the spring when they
are also feeding their young. The other types of birds are scattered pretty much
evenly throughout the midwoods but the best place to see pheasants in their full
autumn display is a small grove of maples just south of the shores of lake
sember. Shouldn't be more than a day's walk in fair conditions. Most birds are
by nature suspicious of guests in their homewood, but a few bread crumbs well
placed will change even the most stubborn mind...
By far the most impresive aray of birdlife can be found in the inner most
region of Cormanthor, the Starwood. In addition to all of the other species
mentioned in this article, large numbers of hawks, eagles, owls, falcons, and
orioles are found among the high boughs of the majestic oaks, ashes, and walnuts
that are the Starwood. All these types can be found in all of the Starwood. One
species, however deserves special mention. The crested irble, a variety of
bunting found only on Faerun, and indiginous only to Cormanthor, is by far the
most glorious bird I have ever seen. When they roost, they are often mistaken
for common sparrows, but their true nature is not revealed until they take
flight. Their plumage is a brilliant mix of blues, greens, and reds unrivaled
even by Maztican parrots and rosellas. So awesome is this spectacle that this
author was held entranced for fully fifteen minutes the first time I witnessed
it. Deffinitely worth a trip to the Starwood, even if for no other reason.
--Sonus Irontree