Birding Between the Lines

Only on Christmas Bird Count day can I set aside farming, writing, housework and being mom to just go out and bird watch. All day and with complete focus. The rest of the time it is a part time task sandwiched in between real work. That has yet to stop me from enjoying watching and listening for the birds around us.

Even though I was still pretty sick with this nasty thing we all have, something half way along the road between just a cold and not quite flu, yesterday was a spectacular day for that between the lines sort of birding.

I was doing dishes, so I looked out the window over the sink (one of the finest household features a woman can have) and there was a herd of turkeys scuttling around the horizon on the heifer pasture hill.

Out to fight with the stove. Certain sick male people let it go completely out dead. It is somewhat challenging to light large, green, wet rounds of wood (the splitter tractor is dead) from scratch. However, I used the intervals while I was waiting to see if it would take a hold to wander around listening and watching. Over at the side of the lawn was a flock of passing goldfinches so large that their calls were loud enough to drown out even the Thruway. They were creating such a din I thought they were Sassenachs (English sparrows) but instead there was this huge flock of dim brown/grey/green not changing feathers yet finches.

I happened to look up toward the pasture and our resident red tailed hawk was lazily swooping over the horse pasture, not bothered much by a pair of bedeviling crows. A speck over the river was at first dismissed as just his mate hanging around hunting half-heartedly, but something made me look closer.

A bald eagle, sailing the sky like he owned it, heading north to the big lakes on a tilt of a wing as if they were just an acre away instead of half way to Canada. I know there are places where eagles are as common as crows, but in Upstate NY they are still a thrill. I was duly thrilled.

The whole day was like that. Pine Siskins and house finches joined the gold finches in emptying the feeders in record time. I didn't have time for the camera, but they kept the hours full of interest.

Finally, at day's end, as the pear tree and the big spruce were making pen and ink drawings against the peach glow of a watercolor sunset, I leaned on a fence post up in back waiting for the woodcock. Milking was done and I wanted a few minutes quiet before going indoors. There are no mosquitoes yet. It isn't quite freezing so such waiting is possible and even pleasant.

Geese were everywhere, racing up and down the valley debating with their haunting bugles where to settle on the river for the night. Although the woodcock didn't show up until this morning's dog walking session when he was competing with a robin for backyard performing rights, it was a sweet and peaceful time. I watched until it was too dark to see their silhouettes against the sky.

Three geese came up from just behind the fence to the heifer pasture and flew so close above me that I ducked. I could hear the air rushing through their feathers as they flew, like someone opening a rustling curtain in the sky.

This is a fine time of year. I like it.