Common Birds 71 - Eastern Phoebe

Friday, April 12

I got out for a walk just as the rain stopped, pushed off by the wind which now sways tree limbs and ruffles my hair. I spent the morning waiting for the rain to stop, and spent the week waiting for the business to finally blow over.

While I’ve been running around, I think I found where the herons nest. I’ve not seen them around work, but I spotted about a dozen branch nests high in trees right where 213 and 93 connect. This morning I thought I saw a few of the gangly birds hunched in their nests. I also found a phoebe nest in the loading bay of a building I’ve started doing some tests in. I heard the phoebe saying phoebeeee phoebeeee as I was carrying my nemesis, a chiller we use to keep lasers from overheating, into the back door, then saw the brown bird dip out from the bay and flit to the trees across the lot. 

Today, I get to walk. The creek runs high and fast into the stream where a muskrat stands and cleans itself just like my pet gerbils used to, up on its hind paw, licking the back of its front paws, and rubbing them over its face and around the back of its head. The way it rubs its eyes reminds me of the way my nine month old son rubs his eyes when he’s sleepy. It’s very cute, and it either doesn’t notice or doesn’t mine that I’m here watching. It looks young and young creatures are usually fearless. I hope this muskrat can stay fearless, even while I know most grown animals are flighty.

Cardinals, white-throated sparrows, robins, blue jays, goldfinches, and mallards all emerge as the rain passes. It’s good to see them, good to bridge between the pond and the river and watch the gulls wheel and dive, good to walk.