A Comfort of Warblers

A Lincoln's Sparrow, today's flying blessing

Things are still not at their best around here, alas. More issues keep popping up with mom, delaying her return home and worrying us all mightily. I know that worry accomplishes nothing but I have yet to find a way to stop doing it.

Then there was that terrible accident this past weekend. If you see the news, you've seen the story. Seriously, I watched the press conferences on the Daily Mail website, which will give you an idea of how far the story has reached. Our kids lost classmates and everyone who lives in the area knows someone who was affected. It is about as sad as it gets, an enormous tragedy. You simply do not know how blessed you are until things you hadn't planned on start happening.

So, as is I am sure the case with anyone with such situations on their mind, I've been pretty down. I still go birding every day because it's what I do, but my heart is not in it.

Last night I went out far later than is sensible, as early as the dark is coming and as dismal as it was yesterday. Just getting out of the house, you know. Didn't see more than a bird or two and nothing special at all until I got up behind the cow barn where we park the hay wagons should it ever be dry enough to make hay.

Birds started chirping at me. Loud....urgent. Okay, I guess I'll take a look even though it's almost dark. A lick of movement here, a little flicker there, and then I found them. There were three Yellow-rumped Warblers, two Blackpoll Warblers, and a single Blue-headed Vireo feeding in the box elders there. Not a great haul by any means, but not bad birds either.

What they were to me was a few minutes blessed respite from fear and worry....a comfort indeed.