I really miss being outside. I think my subconscious is trying to tell me so, because last night I had a dream about the camp I used to work at in the Catskills. I was running around, trying to figure out what classes I needed to teach. I felt totally unprepared and everything looked different than what I was used to. That's about how I feel right now- living in a new state that is poverty-stricken doesn't provide much in the way of new employment.
Despite the darkness of my feelings, I had a few bright spots today. One was when I decided to go out and fill the feeders. Today was bright and sunny, and I soon took off my hat and gloves. As I finished filling a feeder in the front yard, a daring little junco hopped down and chirped repeatedly about 3 feet from where I was standing. I was afraid to breathe. He got spooked and went into a tree near the house. Too bad he wasn't a chickadee; they've been known to eat seed out of people's hands (I've done it before). Then I went out back to fill the tray feeder and tube feeder. As I finished, a glimpse of something big caught my eye. Looking up, I spied a great blue heron just taking off, flying slowly and majestically near the ground (probably because of the power lines next to our house). It was a beautiful sight, and made me smile. So did the orchids my husband brought home for an early birthday present. They are whitish pink dappled with magenta spots- gorgeous. I hope they make it in our dry house.
So I realized I do miss the outdoors. I have been cooped up inside for far too long, not even regularly going on birding trips or hiking. And a little snow won't stop me; I've got YakTraks to help with the ice. I think going for a walk every few days would help bring my spirits up. Just have to find somewhere to go. It would be nice to have more of those bright spots every day...
Friday, January 14, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." Albert Einstein
I'm really into nature. I worked outside as a naturalist for several years, and I've seen some pretty amazing things. I've always been interested in the outdoors. It's always changing and has the capacity to teach, to awe, and to heal. This blog is going to be about those things- observations, insights, and maybe some general naturalist knowledge, too. My husband and I love to take pictures, so I'll include those when relevant.
Yesterday, we received about 7 inches of snow. Nothing special, except that when you live in Georgia, people tend to freak out about even the slightest amount of the white stuff. Instead of stocking up on food or water, what did my husband and I stock up on? Bird seed. We currently have 7 feeders up in our yard, including a thistle sock, two suet feeders, and a hummingbird feeder. We filled them all to the brim the day before the storm, anticipating a mob.
In the morning, the feeders were indeed mobbed by various small birds- goldfinches, tree sparrows, white-throated sparrows, eastern towhees, white-breasted nuthatches, titmice, and cardinals. Some birds hopped around in the snow; others scuffled beneath our window feeder for cast-off seeds. I've never seen so many goldfinches. There must have been at least 50 at the busiest.
Amazingly, this was not the most birds we had in the yard. A little after breakfast, we noticed a small flock of grackles and red-winged blackbirds in the backyard. Roughly an hour later, we had a horde of about 1,000 birds descend upon our feeders and proceed to completely eat us out of seed. It was unbelievable. The ground fairly seethed with birds. I watched two grackles face off over our tray feeder, rearing back on their legs and spreading their wings and squawking at each other with voices like rusty hinges. My husband said they were fighting over who was going to eat the seed.
It was then I realized that although we enjoy the pleasure of watching these birds, we were also providing them a crucial service- food for survival. They needed to fight to get the nutrients they needed to live. Nature is a life-and-death struggle. We too, are involved in that struggle, but sometimes we are so far removed from it that we need a reminder.
To end on a cheerier note, nature is also full of beauty; forms cultivated to please the eye or the other senses. I'm including some pictures of our trip to the aquarium. I became absolutely obsessed with orchids while there, and my husband finally had to remind me that there was more to see than flowers. Namaste!
Yesterday, we received about 7 inches of snow. Nothing special, except that when you live in Georgia, people tend to freak out about even the slightest amount of the white stuff. Instead of stocking up on food or water, what did my husband and I stock up on? Bird seed. We currently have 7 feeders up in our yard, including a thistle sock, two suet feeders, and a hummingbird feeder. We filled them all to the brim the day before the storm, anticipating a mob.
In the morning, the feeders were indeed mobbed by various small birds- goldfinches, tree sparrows, white-throated sparrows, eastern towhees, white-breasted nuthatches, titmice, and cardinals. Some birds hopped around in the snow; others scuffled beneath our window feeder for cast-off seeds. I've never seen so many goldfinches. There must have been at least 50 at the busiest.
Amazingly, this was not the most birds we had in the yard. A little after breakfast, we noticed a small flock of grackles and red-winged blackbirds in the backyard. Roughly an hour later, we had a horde of about 1,000 birds descend upon our feeders and proceed to completely eat us out of seed. It was unbelievable. The ground fairly seethed with birds. I watched two grackles face off over our tray feeder, rearing back on their legs and spreading their wings and squawking at each other with voices like rusty hinges. My husband said they were fighting over who was going to eat the seed.
It was then I realized that although we enjoy the pleasure of watching these birds, we were also providing them a crucial service- food for survival. They needed to fight to get the nutrients they needed to live. Nature is a life-and-death struggle. We too, are involved in that struggle, but sometimes we are so far removed from it that we need a reminder.
To end on a cheerier note, nature is also full of beauty; forms cultivated to please the eye or the other senses. I'm including some pictures of our trip to the aquarium. I became absolutely obsessed with orchids while there, and my husband finally had to remind me that there was more to see than flowers. Namaste!
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