Birdish

  I awoke on Monday to a dark blue sky and about 7 bird silhouettes circling by the backyard.  They never stopped, making it near impossible for me to get a good look at this species and identify it. Their bodies were slick and the flight constant. Come to find out, the Chimney Swift rarely stops. In fact, they are incapable of perching.  They cannot perch. How sad. They feed by the wing, I think that is how birders say it, and they are only capable of clinging to the side of a structure, whereby they got their name because apparently, chimneys are a comfortable place to cling to if you cannot perch.  More fascinating than being unable to perch is their propensity to literally destroy a home.  Chimney swifts travel in large groups. Like hundreds upon hundreds. When disturbed while sleeping their brood flaps their wings and it will sound like thunder. So with this image in mind, imagine if these birds find a chimney they can get in and a place down below to escap...

  I see the Cardinal so often that I do not appreciate its beauty the way others from a different region might.  They are common backyard visitors in the Texas Hill Country.  The female Cardinal is of most interest to me and the main player in this post.  Upon seeing her initially I thought her a little plain. Over the last few years of observing and enjoying birding, I have begun to realize the contrast in her feathers and the bright orange beak that is similar to shiny hair or great eyebrows on a woman.  She is busy and bright and regal. The female Cardinal doesn't sing as often or as loud as the male and when she does sing it is usually a signal that she is ready to build a nest or in need of food.  She vocalizes her request and her needs. Some of us could do a bit more of that in our relationships I bet.  The female Cardinal reminds me that there is beauty right in front of me. There are traces of colors and hints of bright beautiful features to be...