California is bracing itself for it's first storm. Not a raging one, but our first fall rain with ominous clouds and a chill wind stirring the air. (Totally Halloween'ish) I was walking through my family room looking out at my lonely back yard.
Spotted: the abandoned kids' wheel barrel. I should probably bring that in, and the golf club too, I said to myself.
I sighed at the desolate yard and the lonely wheel barrel when a black bird flitted down and perched perfectly on the handle.
Come on, look closely...can you see him?
Well then, imagine it?
Wow, I know, what a beautiful picture that would have been. That small little life amongst the deserted landscape.
Yes, a total miss. I was completely, totally, utterly bummed.
I went and snatched a slice of bread and tossed out bits, trying to coax him back. Birds like bread right? But no one came. While resigning to the fact that I (and you) would have to settle with a mental photograph of the beauty of that moment, I noticed...
...peeking over my back fence. A lonely Morning Glory creeping over the fence to say hello. A small gift of beauty given back in return for what was lost.p.s. While writing, I got up to grab a snack and noticed that all the little neighborhood Wrens had discovered the bread crumb feast. Several of them were bouncing through the dirt, into the wagon. Picture me doing the army crawl on my family room floor, camera in hand, coming up just over the ledge of the window to capture those winged friends.
With their six sense they saw my big fat lens, and me, and took off. Darn that sixth sense.
Have you heard that birds have a "zone of tolerance". They each have a measurable distance that they will let you come near before their "flight" instinct kicks in. Wrens have a very large "zone of tolerance".
Pigeons and Seagulls have a very small "zone". That comes as no surprise I'm sure. Any trip to the beach or park and you feel like letting your hubby get out that pellet gun he's always itching to use.
2 comments:
You need to come to my house and take pictures! My desk is right next to a window where a bird's nest sits. I get to watch them fly in and out all day. I guess they have determined I am 'safe' to be in their zone. :) Also, they have a national bird count day when they ask people to count the different varieties of birds in their yards and then report in. Last year we counted 17 different varieties in our back yard. We live next to a lake so wildlife abounds. You really should come visit and take photos....hee....
Oh, and while you're here you can catch photos of the beavers, foxes, oposssums, raccoons, toads and don't forget our chickens! (I know, I'll stop lobbying now)
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