Thursday, March 17, 2011

The descriptions in this little book

...called Birds are delightful. Here's a bit from the introductory section "About Our Birds."


Alas, my "here" sounds like "ear." That's what happens when I don't bother to set up a tripod. Now I know I can't hold a camera in one hand, a book in the other and read clearly at the same time.

Thanks to Ariel for the book. It's a wonderful addition to our collection.

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Bird news:
  • I saw seven Willow Ptarmigan this morning. They no longer look pure white against fresh snow.
  • The Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch was last seen on March 12.
  • Evening Grosbeak numbers rose to 40 on March 16. No Pine Grosbeaks today.
  • A mix of Common and Hoary Redpolls continues, mainly Hoary, up to 20 at a time.
  • Twenty Willow Ptarmigan in Creighton on March 8. Ptarmigan observed as far south as the La Ronge junction on the Hanson Lake Road on March 2.

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Yesterday I read "Walking" by Henry David Thoreau. I spent time with it again today. Perfect March reading.

6 comments:

carin said...

Oh, but I like that! A great title. "The Bird's Ear."

And such a lovely reading (with accompanying voices).

(So where is MKC Scott from that the birds are so wimpy in winter?)

Brenda Schmidt said...

Ha!

Thanks! I'm surprised they have time to say anything for all the eating they do!

Not sure, but I'm guessing the UK. My googling hasn't yielded the goods. The book has no date, but some say c1930s. It's really quite lovely.

Shelley Banks said...

Sounds like your Ptarmigan are getting a little Ptarnished.

Brenda Schmidt said...

Ptarnished! Ha!

Kathleen Wall said...

Have you read Wayne Grady's riff on this essay? His is also entitled "Walking," and he makes sure to credit Thoreau. But he brings Thoreau up to date in this peripatetic essay that wanders around the issue of walking in an age when we do things too fast to appreciate our surroundings and our daily lives. It's in his book "Bringing back the Dodo."

Brenda Schmidt said...

Excellent! No I haven't read it, but now I want to. Thanks! In five minutes I'll be adding it to cart. Shopping for books online is so nice.