Saturday, June 30, 2007, 11:58 pm
Skimming the sphere
DUNCANVILLE, TEXAS — Yesterday, I saw Greenland. Snow blanketed black mountains, which jutted out of an ice-strewn sea. I fought the urge to scrabble in my bag for binoculars, as if I could see seabirds from seven miles away. I was captivated. But within moments, the vision was past. Within hours, I stepped out of a plane into steamy Texas, where a lone Great-tailed Grackle dithered in the concrete sea.
Chimney Swifts tonight, and cardinals. And I’m left struggling with the notions of place, and time, and home.
David J. Ringer
on 02 Jul 2007 at 6:06 am 1.TANK said …
How about a US bird story to get you back in the groove? Well, yesterday I’d just finished mowing the lawn, and a robin was hopping along in front of me as I was dragging the mower to put it away. He/She…um…”queem” just kept hopping in front of me and then going from branch to branch but still stayed just ahead, keeping queem’s eyes on me the whole time. I walked away from the mower and came back a few seconds later, and the robin was getting a worm out of the grass that was stuck on the mower. I wonder how long he/queem had been stalking that worm while I was mowing. Seems that the birds here are people watchers.