Monday, June 14, 2010

My Music in the World Around Me

If you haven't noticed yet, I often tend to use titles that come from songs for some of my posts.  I love the music from the 30s and 40s so the tunes from the Big Band era will often be an intro to my written thoughts here.

If I'm truly honest, all types of music fills my life through CDs, radio, and when I can get tickets - to concerts.  But the best music lately has been that of the birds.  It seems like every time I walk out my back door lately the cacophony of song from the neighborhood birds makes me stop and simply listen.  Early mornings are always the best, but if I sit outside with my lunch I am amazed at the number of different bird songs I can enjoy.

Last night when the cold front descended I sat in our back yard and listened to them complaining - loudly!  I have so many different types of feathered wonders this summer in my yard and at my feeders.  A really new addition is several varieties of hawks that circle above or stop to rest on our 6 foot fence that divides our yard from the neighbors.  Many bird watchers don't like those raptors, but I find them fascinating.  We've had them stay for long periods of time and I've had a chance to take in their beauty.

My favorite little bird these summer days is the little screech owl which seems to be always yelling lately.  I've only glimpsed it once, but his noise has haunted the area around our home for quite a while.  I know we  have a bard owl nearby as well since it has swooped through the yard over the dog pen off and on for the past few years.  This spring I saw a huge pale colored owl that seems to plunge from the sky in the night darkness with only the moon to paint its shadow.  I haven't seen it well enough to name it as a snowy owl, but I believe it is a snowy.  The bird gives me the chills when it flies through because it seems to drop in from no where silently to search for food I'm sure.  It's silent and is almost ghostly at times.

Listening to the owls as they awaken to the darkness each night, hearing the screeches of the hawks as they circle and land, or enjoying the calls of the many types of small birds at my feeders and around the yard for me can often be the best music of all.  Life always seems to be full of music, and most of it it's alive in my yard, and in the voices of my feathered friends as well.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

I enjoy the listening to the birds sing in the morning too. I would love to see a hawk, when I have my camera, that sits and poses for me!

Unknown said...

Birds are one of my many passions and I know almost every call after so many years of watching and listening to them! We stopped fertilizing the lawn a number of years ago and we have had hawks (Coopers, red tail and goss hawks) coming through our yard on a regular basis. Course it always helps to be feeding the birds too! :-)

Elizabeth Munroz said...

"plunge from the sky in the night darkness with only the moon to paint its shadow"

What a great image! Love how you wrote this.

Unknown said...

Thanks, Elizabeth. I love to see these feathered wonders so much!

Ella said...

I love watching the birds; We have been hearing an owl in our yard, recently. I would love how you described the owl flying silently!
We have rabbits n' turtles in our yard, as well. I believe the rabbits are living under our shed.
Nature always provides entertainment if one pays attention!~

Unknown said...

Ellie,
Our owls are so majestic when they fly! I love them.

We too have bunnies under the shed, but if I remember to throw many mothballs under early in the spring they usually leave that space alone.

Vijay said...

Hi charming girl....you have a wonderful blog...apart from visiting your blog.. i feel to drop a comment for you here at your blog...since you have a wonderful contents,,,really ..for a non native english speaking person like me...this blog helps to improve communication by reading the contents....

I would like to keep in touch with u as a blogger and also as a friend...

thank u...nice blog

Anonymous said...

..Playing Moonlight Serenade by Glen Miller for you...This speaks of a relaxing moment. It is a joy to read your prose.

Unknown said...

I love sounds too. I have music playing in the background constantly in my office. It keeps me going. Sometimes I like silence too, but mostly I need that music. Recently the folk channel. (I have a satellite radio.) Tomorrow I think I'll listen to the 40s channel now that you mention it. It's like a walk back through time.

Unknown said...

Great new website design BTW!

Unknown said...

Hey, Robert,
I almost always have music on as well. If I don't and it's not too hot out I have the windows open to the sounds of what creatures are outside!

Unknown said...

Vinoth,
Thank you very much!

Bax,
I love swing music and the music of the 30s and 40s!!! Moonlight Serenade is definitely one of my favorites too.

Unknown said...

Thanks, Robert! I love the garden so I like the way the green is so vibrant!

walk2write said...

I miss hearing the bird songs during the summer months. Early morning is the best time to catch their tunes, before the day gets too hot and I retreat indoors. I've been thinking about getting a recording of bird songs so I can recognize them when I hear them.

Unknown said...

Walk2Write,
I also wanted more bird songs and got the best Midwest CD of the birds in our area about 5 years ago. When I don't hear them in my yard I turn on the CD and do get to enjoy those love calls.