Last night, the temperature dropped into the low forties. The house was chilly this morning, almost chilly enough to fire up the furnace. But I bundled up and toughed it out, finding little jobs to do indoors until the temperature rose outside.
Finally, I opened the kitchen door and braved the elements, which took hardly any courage at all because the elements were extremely pleasant. The sky was a cloudless blue, the breeze non-existent and the sun warm on my back. The cool temperatures meant the birds were active longer than usual this morning, and my walk was a kaleidoscope of cardinals, meadow larks, blue jays, wrens, and grackles. Though they’ve been here for weeks, I saw my first goldfinch of the season. The Baltimore orioles showed their colors, three in one tree arguing and chirping. While snapping my first ever photo of the flashy, but elusive bird, a particularly aggressive oriole dive-bombed above me, then swooped away.
The cool morning walk reminded me of something I’ve been procrastinating about this spring – if I want to see the birds, I should walk early, shortly after sunrise, when the day is at it’s coolest and the shadows are long. I’ve successfully talked myself out of that practice all spring, but this morning’s kaleidoscope convinced me it’s time to get out the door earlier.
That’s the only way I’ll glimpse my shyest neighbors, down by the bridge, and finally capture them in a photograph. I haven’t seen the indigo buntings pull in with their U-Hall yet, but they’ll be back any day now. And thanks to the reminder this chilly morning provided, I may be there to greet them when they arrive.
