Watching The Birds

[joeblast]

that's what I like about this thread - oddly enough, I notice these little nuances of birds just a little bit more, just because this thread exists

[manitou]

that's what I like about this thread - oddly enough, I notice these little nuances of birds just a little bit more, just because this thread exists

 

 

I agree, lol.  I'm pretty much talked out on all the other subjects.....

[joeblast]

sometimes I think that, then I wind up writing out breathwork bits for the 900,000th time

[manitou]

I'm currently in Ventura, CA for a few days.  I walked out on the pier today and noticed a birdie oddity.  There were some fishermen fishing at the edges of the pier, with their plastic buckets of bait and their catches.  The wind was rather gusty, onshore.  The Western gulls' bodies were positioned perpendicular to the pier, but allowing themselves to be carried sideways by the wind, in exact alignment with the edge of the pier and the fishermen's buckets.  They were all looking downward at the goodies in the buckets, allegedly for the purpose of ripping an inattentive fisherman off.  I say allegedly because I can only assume  

 

Talk about birdie calculus.  I suspect it was more profitable for them to glide sideways because they'd be able to dive directly down into a bucket or a bait container from that sideways position than to be carried in the wrong position by the wind and have to turn back around.

 

The best part of this was that as I was walking by, some fisherman had a boombox and had it cranked up playing Ghost Riders in the Sky, by Johnny Cash.     Whoa-a-a-a-a-a-a.  I love that old song.  The guitar riff at the end is truly a thing of beauty.

[Marblehead]

The birds out at sea do that same thing.  They follow the fishing boats and wait for the fishermen to throw out the trash fish.  That's good, easy food for them.

[Gerard]

 

 

The bush stone-curlew has a very unique call, especially if you happen to meditate in the bush or the park at night time. They quickly pick up your presence and come nearby to check you out, but prior to that when you hear their call in the dark it can be quite disturbing.

 

They come very close always running on the ground like little soldiers, how lovely and funny are these birds.

[silent thunder]

I find one of the most amazing things about the desert are the sunrises during the 'winter months'.

My job has me up before dawn all year long and I have come to adore the time when most of the local human life is still asleep but the world is waking up.

 

There is a process of light in the sky, that exudes this incredible range of pale mauve, lavender, cascading blues and pinks that play along the high cirrus clouds so prevalent that time of year... combined with the morning songs of the birds... beyond words.

[Marblehead]

I went outside this morning to tend to the gardens and ponds and out front along with the pigeons were a bunch of egret looking birds.  They all remained on the house but later did fly over to a neighbor's yard.  They likely followed the pigeons over just to see where they were headed.

[Marblehead]

I just looked out my front window and there was a little birdie in the cat food bowl.

 

It was eating cat food.

[cold]

Turn about is fair play!

[Marblehead]

So today I had a visit by a pair of large yellow with black trim butterflies.  Beautiful things!  I hope they were a mama and papa and they were leaving eggs.  I'm always happy to see butterflies even if it is Chuang Tzu dreaming.

[Kar3n]

I saved a pair of butterflies from of our pool a couple of years ago. I did not think they were going to make it, but I put them in one of my pots and said a little prayer; they dried out and flew away. I have seen a few around my flowerbeds since, and it always takes me back to the two from the pool and how I hoped they would live. 

 

The picture does not do them justice, they were quite large, and even more beautiful.

 

 

 

[Marblehead]

I saw my little hummer this morning early.  Pretty little thing!

 

I don't know what's happening but I have had lots of butterflies these past couple of weeks.  I love watching them.  Even my mail lady commented on them.

[sagebrush]

Butterflies are like rainbows. just simply phenomenal to look at..

 

we get used to seeing monarchs and then one oddly colored or marked one or two show up and then--

 

off we go to watch butterflies.

 

the dusty pink wings match the color of the flower...ok with black trim

almost camouflage on this plant.  gone but not forgotten because I have a photo.

 

the painful part is I am going to post the photos of the butterflies. oh yes

 

the dusty pink blends right along with the flower color.....trimmed in black

 

and the other one......the design on the wings-------shapes and patterns

[silent thunder]

My wife and I were hiking up along the cliffs of Big Sur about 12 years ago.  As we were walking up the path we encountered a man who appeared to be under the influence of an intense chemical high.  He was starry eyed and spoke slowly and all he said was... "as you go further up, make sure you take the right path" and went on his way.

 

We said nothing to him but we giggled a bit at his 'spaciness' and wondered aloud what he was taking...

 

A short time later we found the split in the path he mentioned and took the right path.  Soon we found ourselves in a very old grove of Eucalyptus Trees.  In the center of them were several dozen monarchs, very lazily spinning and floating in the sun.  It was simply amazing.  We arrived and sat in silence there for a minute or more until my eyes widened and I pointed up with a gasp...

 

"Oh dear god sweetie.... the trees!  Those aren't leaves!  It's all Monarchs..."

 

There was not a single leaf visible in the trees.  The Monarch flock had hunkered down there and most were sleeping.  So many that the branches were bowed with the weight of them. 

 

We walked down that path after some time, just as high as that guy had been... what a gift he offered us that day.  I wonder what he's up to right this minute?

[Marblehead]

I can't recall ever seeing a monarch in my area.  Likely I am off their migration routes and there's no proper food here for them.

 

Any butterfly is a good butterfly so all s well.

 

I have seen the Florida State Butterfly here a few times though:

 

http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/butterflies/fl_zebra_longwing.htm

[blue eyed snake]

butterflies are soo beautiful, like propelled flowers.

I've several of these flying in my small backgarden.

 

when the sun shines on their wings the dots seem to radiate a golden color.

 

also a hedgehog, last weeks I sometimes saw a hedgehog, was happy with it, eating all of these snails that slither around, enjoying a wet summer. This hedgehog now has made a nest of old leaves and such, so it'll be wintering in my backyard. just nice!

 

 

[joeblast]

I saved a huge dragonfly the other day, flew into my buddy's garage just after dark and proceeded to accumulate about 60% of the cobwebs in the entire place on himself.  I arrived with the garage dark and my buddy's uncle hoping he'd fly off - but I didnt hear anything, so I had him turn on the lights, and found him on the side of the snow blower, so covered in cobwebs I wasnt even sure I've be able to pick 'em clean.  I grabbed him by the wing and onto the floor in front of me and started cleaning, and he perched on my sandal and waited rather patiently...but got a little uppity when I tried to clean the body, he flew off, and....up onto the chain that hangs an ancient clock that doesnt really work any longer - where he promptly got another cobweb goober on his back right wing...bzzz!...bzzz! get off!  I tried to be patient, but then I jumped up on the desk and in one reach, picked the cobweb goober off him, and ahhhhhhh he goes off towards the cobwebs in the corner!!!!!  so then I swiped at him and he flew back to the center of the room - ok shut the lights!!!!!!

 

 

zooom, off and up out!!!   finally!!!!

[manitou]

I saved a huge dragonfly the other day, flew into my buddy's garage just after dark and proceeded to accumulate about 60% of the cobwebs in the entire place on himself.  I arrived with the garage dark and my buddy's uncle hoping he'd fly off - but I didnt hear anything, so I had him turn on the lights, and found him on the side of the snow blower, so covered in cobwebs I wasnt even sure I've be able to pick 'em clean.  I grabbed him by the wing and onto the floor in front of me and started cleaning, and he perched on my sandal and waited rather patiently...but got a little uppity when I tried to clean the body, he flew off, and....up onto the chain that hangs an ancient clock that doesnt really work any longer - where he promptly got another cobweb goober on his back right wing...bzzz!...bzzz! get off!  I tried to be patient, but then I jumped up on the desk and in one reach, picked the cobweb goober off him, and ahhhhhhh he goes off towards the cobwebs in the corner!!!!!  so then I swiped at him and he flew back to the center of the room - ok shut the lights!!!!!!

 

 

zooom, off and up out!!!   finally!!!!

 

 

You absolutely get extra credit for that, JoeBlast

[joeblast]

5, 10 minutes of my time to save a life, hell yeah, every time, provided I can actually help

[Albion]

Extraordinary!  I just found the 'Watching the Birds' area!  I'll have to post here soon, I so much love the birds in our neighborhood.

 

I kept a sort of log (at one time), of the birds I've seen in the 36 or 37 states that I lived in, or visited.

 

I've seen a few very rare one's, but that was the exception, not the rule (of course!).

 

I'm so glad that this section is here!    

 

Thank you for so many interesting posts!

 

Keep on Daoing,  Differently Abled Daoist

Edited September 22, 2016 by DifferentlyAbledDaoist

[blue eyed snake]

in the last of the summer, the first startup of autumn, the starlings arrived here.

On the one hand, there a loud bunch, shitting everywhere. On the other hand, I always think there beautiful, both as individual birds and in the way they fly together, as if they are one entity, moving smoothly.

 

and funny that the start of swarm-forming is together with the full moon.

[manitou]

Are starlings the ones that lay their eggs in other birds' nests?  Or do I have that mixed up?  And yes, to see those starling helixes  in flight is truly a thing of beauty.

 

 

Yesterday I was sitting on the front porch, watching the beginning of fall.  Just mindless gazing, intentional mindless gazing, no thoughts engaged at all.  Suddenly within my field of vision a feather bisected my view diagonally, crossing from upper left to lower right.  I think it was a small feather off a mockingbird, half grey, half white.  But it was so strange.  It whirled down like the rotor of a helicopter, just spinning its mindless way across my view.  It was sort of astounding.

 

Ever wonder how many magic things we miss when we're not in the present?

[cold]

A resident Red Shouldered Hawk is often heard, less often seen, at least by me. Mostly I have  seen them while they are being harassed by a murder of crows. Mowing yesterday reduced rodent cover and this morning a hawk caught a vole or field mouse flew to the top of compost to eat the meal. It had seven or eight bites before flying off. Remaining low -3 feet or less above ground before soaring into and thru the trees.

[blue eyed snake]

Are starlings the ones that lay their eggs in other birds' nests?  Or do I have that mixed up?  And yes, to see those starling helixes  in flight is truly a thing of beauty.

 

 

 

 

yes, you got those mixed up, it's cuckoos that lay their eggs in anothers nest.

 

this morning this little beauty was sitting a little dazed on my small terrace, i think it flew against my windowpane, happily it took flight again a little later, i think it is called a firecrest, never seen one before, makes the morning good!