She wiggles ahead of me, wearing her post-op fabric cone, her sights on the rocking chair. Her terrier sniffer tracks. In the distance as if on command a rooster crows. Porch duty commences.
Birds caught my interest lately. I subscribed to the brief, daily BirdNote pod. I surfed through the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s website, All About Birds. I downloaded the lab’s Merlin app which helps to ID birds. Am I am becoming amateur birder? Perhaps.
“Good girl.” I say to Tilly as she perches on my lap. My focus changes. Instantly the varied morning bird songs flow into my ears. A robin sings a double note tune. Another one answers. What I suppose are goldfinches (thanks, Ms. Tartt) warble and twitter and warble some more. A red-winged blackbird, or maybe it’s a raven, caws. A car drives past, reorganizing the airstream around its steel body frame and over its windshield. I sip my bitter iced coffee. The car engine fades and returns the stage to the wildlife.
Smaller creatures like sparrows cheep chirrup. The robins continue to sing paired notes. More caws and warbles mixed with unidentifiable kit kit kits. The other morning I listened to an owl, wondering why it was still awake. With research I realized it wasn’t a hoot hoot hoo but probably the coo’s of a mourning dove. I’m a student here, mistakes happen.
A new noise delights me, the rapid taps of a nearby woodpecker. It is joined by the whir of bike tires as riders pedal through Mayberry. Eventually runners, solo and in pairs, will trek through, too, battling the pavement with staccato footfalls. It’s still early. I inhale and close my eyes. The trill whistles of what I guess is a cardinal reach my ears. Tilly yawns.
I exhale and open my eyes. The sun peaks over the rooftops and tall pine trees across the street. The power lines sway in the breeze with immediate aviary seating available. Dogwood and crabapple and cheery trees rain pink and pearly white blossoms. Forsythia announces itself with golden radiance. Among these trees and bushes the birds continue their calls. Mayberry rises.
Do you ever listen to the birds? Are you into birding? What kinds of birds live in your area? Tell me about it.
Adventures in Low Vision 