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         HOW CAN I KEEP FROM SINGING                                                                      Western Tanager Fledgling   “My life goes on in endless song above earth’s lamentations. I hear the sweet, though far off hymn that hails a new creation………How can I keep from singing.”   Robert Lowry This song by Robert Lowry has been a favorite of mine for years.   It reminds me of a book by Maya Angelou, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”.   Singing has and continues to be a major influence and activity in my life.   And so, when the birds sing to me, I listen and sing along with them.   But what do those songs mean? I just received a fledgling Western Tanager (I think….or Bullocks’s Oriole….hard to tell at fledgling stag...
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                                                                                Northern Goshawk “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” ―  George Berkeley The age old question.   I guess it depends on your perspective and your belief on the centrality of human existence.   If you ask the forest, the sound is everywhere.   The creatures that walk on the ground feel the vibrations of the tree falling to earth with all its weight.   The creatures of the air see it on its downward arc and feel the air waves as it goes.   The small critters find refuge in its reclining body – a place to raise their young, find shelter from the weather, protection from predators.   Th...
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“Uncertainty is the refuge of hope.” Henri Frederic Amiel

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“Uncertainty is the refuge of hope.” Henri Frederic Amiel 3/1/21 As I was driving up my street about a week ago I caught a glimpse of a magpie (which I often see next to the park) with a stick in its mouth.   Nest building time already?   Yes!   It’s coming.   Even the house sparrows in my backyard are dancing the dance of procreation – the cloacal kiss, the brushing of creation parts to make new life.   Part of me was excited for the signs of spring and the change of seasons.   Part of me was fearful!   The baby bird season is probably the busiest time for wildlife rehabbers and this will be my first baby season on my own.   I kept watching for the magpie hoping to see where its nest was located.   And soon I found it, a large bushel basket mass of large sticks in the top of a tree.   I’m glad I looked for it before all the leaves bud out because I would have never found it.   The female incubates the 6-7 greenish gray brow...
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How Long Is A Life

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                                                                                                                           HOW LONG IS A LIFE?                                                                                               2/2/2021 A humming bird’s lifespan is only a few years.  A Swainson’s Hawk’s lifespan maybe 8-20 years.  An eagle might live 2...
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