The Woods

Part Of The Woods

This morning, I went out in the driveway and stared into the woods. Quickly, I lapse into serenity. Within 200 feet, an adult eagle is calling. It lifts off and lands further down in the woods and continues to call.

The morning fog is lifting. Red and Rosey are vocalizing and flying through the woods. Sometimes they fly together but usually on their own. The sound of water flowing over a dam is heard. Titmice fly by me and head for the feed station. One finds a peanut, is delighted, and pecks at it in front of me. The small sound of a nuthatch emanates from the woods. A northern flicker makes an appearance but is silent. In back of me, the head mockingbird is busy defending a tree from a group of rowdy blackbirds. A moment later, it attacks its image in the rear-view mirror of the car. White-throated sparrows are singing and chirping in the brush that I enhanced for them in the woods. A downy woodpecker is following another up a tree. An american robin is chirping a bit at the top of a hickory. American crows are "cawing" as they inspect the woods for hawks. A bluejay lands near the feed station and calls like a hawk. It doesn't scare any of the other birds. Perhaps it needs more practice. Or maybe they heard it before.

Occasionally, a small group of canada geese fly overhead to serenade me. A lone turkey vulture watches me lazily from the tallest tree it can find. Its warming up for its flight. A few months ago, tree swallows were using the tree.

The sky is blue, the air is crisp, and I am at peace in my own little world.

Originally published on November 22, 2009)