Lunch with friends keeps me sane. But if I'm not out, I'm at home watching the birds. Yup. I'm a bird watcher.Out my large kitchen window and across the porch is where I keep the bird feeder in a Maple tree, and the birdies work hard to entertain me. There's a squirrel who sun bathes on the porch rail, and the birds occasionally throw him a seed. There's a perfect specimen Gold Finch sitting on the bottom left rung who comes through each year. Can you see him? I also get Nuthatches, Chickadees, House Sparrows, a Downy Woodpecker, Brown Thrashers (on the ground), Juncos (I think), Purple Finches, Gold Finches, Orioles, Mockingbirds, Tufted Titmice, and this particular day... two Hummingbirds! (Who I just bought a feeder for!)
When I see a bird I don't recognize, I turn to my trusty field guide - the one that belonged to my Grandmother (Gammeo). She wrote in the margins when she saw certain birds or odd groupings. For instance "flock of Gold Finches on the back fence, Lexington, VA, 1978." Now I write in the margins too. It's one of my dearest treasures.
I'm always reminded of Steve Martin in the movie "Roxanne" - "who loved the little birds so much, he gave them this (his nose) to set upon." If I had a nose like Cyrano de Bergerac, I would let the birdies sit on it too.
2 comments:
This is so lovely, e! I especially like the idea that you're writing in the margins just like your grandma did!
Love watching birds,also. Have feeders right off our sunroom. People always comment on them when they come over--relaxing.
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