Bird Watching

With the back deck power washed, the deck furniture sparkling clean and the weather perfect, I headed outside with my laptop this afternoon. How nice.

The sky was blue, occasionally interrupted by some milky white cirrus clouds. The neighborhood was quiet. Saturday is normally a day to hear gas engines as lawns get mowed and hedges trimmed.

A few birds were chattering in nearby trees. Their calls are rhythmic and cryptic. Are they saying anything or is this the equivalent of the bell on a buoy in a harbor?

A good time to take some pictures! I went inside and fitted “Clicky” with his 70-300mm telephoto lens.

It didn’t take long to realize, birds are more easily heard than seen! Even repetitive calls were tough to pin down.

Can a bird throw its voice like a ventriloquist? It seemed that way.

Finally, one sat down in a bush not far from me. He was tiny, with a curved beak. Click. Captured in the camera.

Later I showed the shot to Helaine.

“What kind is it,” she asked?

“Cute,” I answered.

“No really,” she said, getting more serious.

“Brown… it’s a brown bird.”

It is.