Birder

According to my week long ornithological studies I have discovered the eight bird varieties of the Lake Superior shoreline. If the intensity of the scientificness and complicated ornithological terms are too much for you you are free to skip this blog post, or maybe read the March 1, 2014 blog post instead. No, I don't know what that March 1, 2014 one is about, it was a random choice of dates, but odds are it's as good as this one.





Okay, so, you're still with me. We're ready to roll up our sleeves and do some proper research science. Here are the eight birds of the Lake Superior shore:


1. Seagull.

They fly by on a regular, indiscernible schedule, sometimes silent, sometimes crying out. Every once in awhile they will make a loop, to slow their progress and make sure they don't get ahead on their carefully timed route.


2. Little yellow birds.

These are the only birds that get confused by the windows of our lake house, which can, in the right light, look like another lake through another forest. One day one crashed into the glass and sadly, but fascinatingly, lay dead on our balcony. Another day one crashed and lay on its back on our balcony, and even though its bold, tiny heart was rapidly pounding, I thought it would die eventually,  but after awhile of lying flopped on its back the little yellow bird hopped up and flew away.


3. Geese.

The geese can speak for themselves.


4. Dragonflies.

All birds in the science classification system lie somewhere between dragons and flies. But the dragonfly is at the exact center between them.


5. Bald Eagle.

Standing at the kitchen island counter I saw a distant bird flying along and I thought "Wouldn't that be something if that were a bald eagle." A few minutes later a big bald eagle came flying along our long row of windows. It was so close I gasped.


6. Loon.

Only ever on the water, you can see them from far away. They like the calm water best, and when they dive you will not see them for a very long time because they like flying under water better than they like flying in the air. 


7. Bats.

They are only out in the last five minutes of daylight and in that time they eat all the mosquitoes that the dragonflies could not catch during the course of an entire day.


8. Hummingbirds.

Oh man, these birds are like looking into another, more lovely, reality. If only we belonged to the same beautiful dimension as hummingbirds.


 

I hope you learned something. Personally I was unable to get past my preconceived notions. I saw only what I expected to see, and yet, I don't seem to mind at all.