The Birds

I haven't been able to find a schedule for blogging yet here in Florida. It's nearly 2:30 AM now as I write this, and I don't want to keep staying up so late. The last two days I've made myself get out of bed at 10 AM, but it hasn't worked because I am still staying up all hours of the night.

Tonight, around dinner, I was sitting on the patio by the pool and looking out into the nearly wooded area behind my parents' lot. I say 'nearly wooded, because there is about 10 feet of scrub and trees that give way to a wide empty wash. Still, despite the thin-ness of the wild area, the back yard attracts a wide variety of animal life. Within about 15 minutes, I spotted a brilliant cardinal, a blue bird, a blue jay, several doves, and an honest-to-god bobwhite. The bobwhite was walking across the lawn, and I was able to see the distinctive white banding on its face and the crazy feather thing on top. My first thought was that it looked exactly like the one in the cartoons! TV has ruined me.

But, seeing all these birds made me think I should take up actual birdwatching. I so enjoy seeing new birds in the wild— or seeing ones that I haven't seen in a long time. (California is blessed with sparrows, mockingbirds, pigeons, and crows.) I was ecstatic to see that woodpecker back in March.

Talk to you again soon!

"One must ask children and birds how cherries and strawberries taste."— Goethe