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Friday, March 20, 2009

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.

11 comments:

Earl said...

Eagles will always be a thrill in flight - kind of like seeing a real American hero on television - so rare and refreshing, making one pay attention and wish we could do that, too.

Deb said...

What a lovely post :)
I do hope your all feeling better. How nice that your feathered friends were there yesterday to excite you. Eagle sightings are rare in our neighborhood although frequent along the coast. I certainly do not have the abudance of birds that you do.....two lone geese flew over, not quite sure where to land. I'm hoping it's a good sign of things to come.

Have a good day ~

Dani said...

I love days like that. Makes everything else seem a little better.

R.Powers said...

That was a great bird day!

DayPhoto said...

What a soothing in calming post! I felt like I could see what you are seeing.

Thank you. (My husband lets the fire go out also. Sigh)

Get well soon!

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com/

Anonymous said...

Coming home from Schenectady on the thruway this week, I saw my first large flock of mallards of the season, in the river near Ft. Hunter. Thirty seconds later, I too saw a bald eagle - my first! - sitting up in the top of a tree, looking down at those noisy ducks like they were way beneath him - which they were.

I, of course, did not have my camera with me!

Anonymous said...

Wow! That sounds like it was one cool day. Rejoice-ful even. Thanks for sharing, I was ooh-ing and aaah-ing the entire read.

Anonymous said...

Fantastic. hope you all are getting to feeling better. Man do we have plans for a neat bird feeder area outside our kitchen window. Bit that is a ways off. We are still trying to get the kitchen and dinning room done.

threecollie said...

Earl, I don't think I will ever get over being excited about them no matter how many I see!

Deb, thanks, we are getting better quickly and I am so grateful. We got really sick. I loved the eagle! The day wasn't going all that well and it just made things all better

Dani, it does. I just went out and the woodcock and robins were singing under a crescent moon. It was simply lovely

FC, super!

Linda, I feel for you. We have a huge outdoor wood furnace. They bring huge wood. It is fine if you have a bed of coals. But hard to light. Really hard to light

akagaga, Oh, I wish you had had the camera! What a great shot that would have been! I see them perching every once in a while, but I have never gotten a shot either.

Teri, thanks I so love spring! The birds, getting into the garden. I spread horse manure on the upper garden yesterday and loved every minute of it!

Tim, I think your house is going to be super. Can't wait to see that feeder!

Anonymous said...

This is some beautiful, magical writing, right here!!

Hope you all are feeling better soon.

J.W.

threecollie said...

JW, we are recovering pretty well...a real nasty bug. Thanks for your kind words. It sure was a fantastic bird day.