Time is my enemy, or why I haven't blogged here lately

Back to work. Back to soccer. BIG storytelling commitments, detailed on my other blog. The start of a new People to People travel season. Crummy, crummy weather when none of these others are demanding my attention. I have not been out birding in so long, it hurts.

I've watched as the goldfinches in my yard lose their bright yellow feathers, gorging themselves on the Echinacea seed heads left standing. The chickadees are more numerous in the yard. Blue Jays and crows seem to have moved in of late, overpowering the persistent chirps of the chipping sparrows and resident cardinals. That's pretty much been it for me, except...

...we had a near full moon not too long again. As the moon was waxing and a nasty storm had just moved through, I was sitting near an open window about 8pm when I heard it...a distinctive bird call not like the usual night birds I hear. I stepped out onto my deck, and though the still cloudy conditions prevented visual confirmation, I knew the skies overhead were filled with migrating birds. I sat out in the ozone charged air post storm, reveling in the nearly continuous calling of birds on all sides of me. Others on the wisbird list with clearer skies later reported little bird silhouettes against the moon. I knew it to be true, just from the delightful soft travel songs they sang, like feathered voyageuers, keeping the rhythm of their travels. To think all these many years, I was unaware of such wonders! I stayed out for nearly an hour, and it never ceased. Finally, knowing that my old enemy, time, was calling me in, I took one quick look at the nexrad site to see what our "liftoff" had been. An incredible 35dbz.

There is so much wonder out there to be found. We only need to take the time to look. Now, if some of those Chestnut-sided, Tennessees and a Magnolia or two would please stop here for a few days? Our black walnuts are loaded with tasty insects we'd be glad to share with y'all before heading further south!