Place (2)

But there is something important to be said for completely being in the place you are in.

I’ve been trying to pay attention to the sights, sounds, smells of where I am. This winter I did a lot of snowshoeing in the woods, and sometimes I took my phone so I could snap a photo, but mostly I didn’t––just so I’d completely be present wherever I was.

Now it’s finally spring where I live. As usual I keep a journal to keep track of the spring arrivals. Not to put down the goldfinches (brightening every day) velcroed to my finch feeders in the front yard, or the industrious and friendly chickadees that we also have all year round, or the clamorous bluejays who’ve taken over the backyard compost pile, or the woodpeckers, nuthatches, mourning doves, owls, crows, ravens, hawks… But it is a miracle every year when the spring birds show up.

4/10 Song sparrows back, purple finches singing, robins in yard (robins had tried to show up in March but driven away by snowstorm), male cardinal singing in our cork tree

4/15 Heard golden crowned sparrow, song sparrows everywhere, white-throated sparrow at finch feeder, pine siskins at finch feeders (elbowing out finches)

4/22 Woodcocks taking flight in twilight in our field!

4/25 Flickers everywhere, heard first hermit thrush in neighbors woods

4/26 Phoebes everywhere, wood frogs clattering in our tiny fountain pool (to the amphibeans in our woods, it’s a vernal pool… most years we have wood frog eggs, salamander eggs, green frog eggs, toad eggs––it’s a veritable hatchery)

4/27 Chipping sparrows everywhere, tons of wood frog eggs in just 24 hours!