Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Bird Watching

I never paid much attention to birds because the pigeons I frequently encountered freaked me out. They would appear out of nowhere. Then sweep down very close to my face in attempt to either clip me with their wings or to defecate on my hair or jacket.

However a couple of years ago when I was in Vermont, I heard something knocking on the door. I went out to see who it was but didn’t see a thing. Upon closing the door, I heard the knocking again. But instead of opening the door again, I noticed something moving outside the window. It was a woodpecker. It was shoving it’s beak into the bark of a tree and it looked nothing like the famous woodpecker than I knew when I was growing up.


The practical joker that I had met looker more like an oreo cookie – a mixture of black and white - no red or blue.


After that I became more interested in birds – mostly by their colors. I’d occasionally see a cardinal or a blue jay in Central Park during my morning walks with the dogs. While Foxy ran after the squirrels, I was entranced by the flying rainbows in the sky.

This summer on Long Island I saw an two Orioles – one perched on a tree and the other on the roof of my parent’s house – they were engaging in conversations while I moved my head back and forth to figure out who was talking to whom and what they were saying. It was like a tennis match when you follow the ball from one end of the court to the other.

I am pretty sure I’ve seen sandpipers on Long Island as well. The small non-pigeon birds in Central Park are probably sparrows but I have yet to confirm that. While I was in Mexico City, I saw a hummingbird and was in awe of its small speediness. Hopefully I’ll see more varieties of birds in the upcoming year. I do find them fascinating and calming. I guess that’s why people bird watch after all – it’s a relaxing hobby.

1 comment:

M said...

I agree, it is fun to look for birds and such a thrill when you see a species you always hear about, especially in an urban setting.