Walking Continues

Oh, Maimie," he said rapturously,  "do you know why I love you?  It is because you are like a beautiful nest."  ~ J.M. Barrie, The Little White Bird; Or, Adventures in Kensington Gardens   The Park: Oh, we were so so late walking today. It was the weather. It was a the challenge a good night sleep can be. But we knew we needed a good long walk. We saw the crows and then the Red-shouldered Hawk pair. "Surely it was time to see them working on the nest," I thought. We distracted ourselves with Great Blue Herons and squirrels and then headed back towards the car. But the sight of  brown bird steadily flying down the creek carrying a twig half again its height stopped me cold. I watched as it flew past the old nest (from the last couple of years) and kept flying.  Forgetting about my tired feet I turned I tracked the hawk. It stopped twice before landing at a location that surprised me.  Since I am not a hawk, I have no idea why this was the selected tree....

Collect shiny things. Hop happily down down the street for no apparent reason. Whatever you eat, eat it with joy. Scream loudly when you see your friends.* I was keeping my head down to avoid spying the House Sparrows that regularly take refuge on the porch  and in the remains of the Wax Mallow. But the sunrise demanded I look into the sky. There - at the edge of the neighborhood - a murder of crows. They spoke and demanded their place. My first birds. I love crows and ravens, magpies and rooks. The crows have been here in great numbers during the strange strange winter. It was meant to be.  My first bird would be the American Crow. So, what does it mean? I thought I should check with the Scots, since my primary heritage rests there.        The Celtic crow symbol stands for  individuality, prophetic knowledge,          and a complete disregard for what others think . The crow embodies a         combinat...