CUC Bird Walk Report: Sun Aug 24

House Finch

Our theme today was journeys, and journeying light in honor of the fall migration of birds that is well underway. At night you can see flocks of small warblers passing in front of the moon as they head south and during the day see them feeding up in the trees. They fly high so as to avoid the lower, thicker resistant air, but by flying at higher altitudes, they have to have all kinds of physiologic adaptations that make them supreme flying athletes. They also have hollow bones, air sacs, and no bladder to lighten their load.

The eight of us heard poetry and contemplated many facets of traveling. One of the poems we shared was Mary Oliver's, "The Journey."

One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice–
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
‘Mend my life!’
each voice cried.
But you didn’t stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognised as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do–
determined to save
the only life you could save.

To save ourselves, and the world, most of us went to morning service where the theme was also journeys as Rev. Garmon spoke of the Beatniks and the book, On The Road. After the morning's service, a few of us put up ultraviolet stickers on the sanctuary windows so the birds would not hit the windows. We have found a number of dead birds around the building and our hope is to decrease these accidental deaths caused by hitting our windows. We hope to make our congregation a safe home for the many.

Today's bird count was the lowest yet, but we did enjoy the close sighting of several birds, and spending a wonderful morning with one other.

Next bird walk is September 28, 2014, 8:30 a.m. behind the Parsonage.

4 House sparrows
12 American robins
9 Mourning doves
2 Tufted Titmice
1 White-breasted nuthatch
1 Red-bellied woodpecker
1 Downy woodpecker
6 Common grackles
2 Black-capped chickadees
2 House finches
1 Red-tailed hawk
2 Northern cardinals
1 Blue jay