More fall migrants; also, what I have been doing instead of writing my novel

[pameladean]

Yesterday morning I looked out my bedroom window and saw a kinglet walking up the trunk of the hackberry.  I did not know that they did that.  I've mostly seen them fluttering at branch-tips.  It was poking its beak into the bark.  Eventually it turned so that I could see its head, with the eye-ring, so I knew that it was a ruby-crowned kinglet.  A moment later another one flew onto the tree trunk as well; but when it finally turned in profile,I saw that it had no eye-ring, but rather had stripes.  It was a golden-crowned kinglet.  This afternoon, I saw another small bird walking up the trunk of the tree, and thought, Oh, another kinglet.  But it had a yellow underside.  After a lot of staring at the bird and staring at Sibley and staring at the maps in Sibley, I believe it to have been a female Wilson's warbler.

This is particularly pleasing because in 1995 Raphael and I visited the Sonora Desert Museum near Tucson.  We were watching a demonstration of a great gray owl.  I was astonished that the owl was even awake in the blazing desert afternoon, and disconcerted because just as the lecture proper was beginning, the owl swivelled its head and fixed its eyes right on me.  The docent looked at me too, interrupted herself, and said, "Excuse me, but this is more interesting than my lecture.  There's a female Wilson's warbler sitting on your hat."  The hat still has a faint stain on it from the warbler's sojourn there, and I have never forgotten being looked at that way by the owl.

Things I Have Been Doing Instead of Writing My Novel

Going for long walks
Thinking about Mike
Trying to write a 500-word "appreciation" of Mike for Locus
Putting a lamp together
Thinking about Mike
Having lunch at Rice Paper with elisem and mrissa, at the excellent instigation of the latter
Watchijng "News Radio" with Raphael
Swapping bird stories with my brother
Playing with my new camera, an early Christmas present from David
Thinking about Mike
Rereading Cherry's Foreigner books
Making fish chowder
Doing lots of laundry
Thinking about Mike

P.

Comments

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

"News Radio" is good stuff. It's one of those I didn't care about at all until timprov started watching the DVDs.

And I was glad to instigate.

[pameladean]

I think it goes better on DVDs than with all the noise of advertisements; half-hour shows particularly often do.

It's sometimes a little ruthless for my tastes, but the cast is so hilarious and the mix of slapstick and higher forms of comedy so lovely. Besides, it has splendid geek values. And a Midwesterner.

P.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

A real Midwesterner, too, not the Hollywood stereotype thereof. Probably because the actor is Canadian and knows Upper Midwestern from a hole in the ground.

[thinkum]

in 1995 Raphael and I visited the Sonora Desert Museum near Tucson

I love the ASDM, and it's always been a mandatory expedition when I've been out in Tucson to visit my folks. Mom and I go early in the morning, when they first open, and sit for an hour or so in the hummingbird aviary, just quietly enjoying the acrobatics of the inhabitants fiercely defending their territories, the amazing stillness of a hummingbird when it perches on a small branch a foot away from you, the flashes of iridescence as they flare their colorful throats. After about an hour, there are too many people, too many excited children, too much noise to see the birds at their best...but in that hour, it's a perfect meditation.

[pameladean]

Oh, yes, I love the hummingbird aviary. We were there in spring once and got to see the young ones in their fluffy stage. And got dive-bombed by the parents, you bet.

I'm still amazed by the ingenuity of the design, making many territories by the use of screening plants and multiple levels.

P.

Great Grays

[(Anonymous)]

Great grays are entirely diurnal. We had an influx of them about thirty years ago in Western Mass, coming down from Canada when (presumably) the lemming population crashed and the young birds were forced off parental territory with nowhere else to go but south. We had three here in Hatfield. Amazing birds. Totally unfazed by humans. My David took some sensational photos.

Jane

Re: Great Grays

[pameladean]

That must have been a splendid experience. The single one, sitting patiently because its wing wasn't quite healed yet, was very imposing all by itself.

I hope you have the photos.

And I think of you and David every time I see a new bird, and also any time that I see a robin, because of the roost of 30,000 that you wrote about.

P.

[lcohen]

*extra hugs*

[pameladean]

Aw. I think you could use one or two yourself. *hugs back*

P.