Sunflowers

It is fascinating to me how swiftly things can shift and shake loose in my mind simply by sitting and watching.

Today I watched a mama and papa house finch decide whether it was safe to bring their babies over to the yard or not. Once they determined it was safe they quietly flew off to the edge of the woods and moved their young from a sweet gum to another sweet gum (significance?). Their young are pretty noisey so I imagine they have to be picky about where and when they take them. Once they were tucked safely into the leaves mama and papa got to work getting them. And the way they showed them what to do - gentle and firm. This is the stuff that will determine whether they survive to adulthood or not.

Life.

It is dramatic.

And infinite in measure.  

The learning is endless.  

In the bird world it is life and death.

In the human world it is life and death.

I'm paying attention and trying to learn.

Are you? 

Flock

I slid into the flock of birds today up close to watch them... I read there can be up to five hundred in a flock.  I don't think the flock passing through right now has five hundred but, it easily has 250.  There are pine siskins, goldfinch, red house finch, nuthatch, and juncos.  The sound is incredible as they land among the trees and begin their decent to the ground... The swoosh when the hawk spooks them and the flee into the trees...