For the Birds
In order to see birds it is necessary to become a part of the silence.
Robert Wilson Lynd
seagulls vying for a spot on the top of a lifeguard tower
A mockingbird between songs
Crow trying to out-sing the wind
Morning Coffee
Above me
The mourning dove sings,
the gulls cry out,
the mockingbird proudly
practices drills -
all of them
Unbothered by the disapproving
Clucks and coos of pigeons
Circling on the pavement below .
The herons mind their
Business, not making a sound
Or even acknowledging me
As an egret with a neck so thin
It can barely support his head
Picks his way silently
through the tall grass
And oh- here comes the crow;
my familiar friend
Calling on the wind
reminding me
everywhere i go
I am still home
Night heron watching the water at the marina
Great blue heron on top of the world
a tense green heron fishing
At the edge of the ocean, a crow walked beside me for awhile
A great egret gathering food from the tall grass in the park
Crow flying off a lifeguard tower
The sound of birds stops the noise in my mind.
Carly Simon
Coming from the quiet snowy retreat of my little house in Michigan to bright and noisy Miami Beach was a little bit of a shock to my system. I woke up the entire first week not knowing where I was. But after the initial adjustment, I found my routine here again and more importantly, where to go to be quiet and talk to the birds over morning coffee.
Thank you so much for being here! I will see you soon!
Seagulls watching sunrise
Scenes from a Long Walk
Walking sometimes means undertaking an inner voyage of discovery. You are shaped by buildings, faces, signs, weather and the atmosphere…Walking as a combination of movement, humility, balance, curiosity, smell, sound, light and - if you walk far enough - longing. A feeling which reaches for something, without finding it.
Erling Kagge, from Walking
A seagull flying into the sunrise over the Atlantic
fighting for scraps of food in the air
lizard basking in sunshine on the rocks at the marina
Fish crow gazing into the water of the shipping channel
rock dove perching on a ledge above a small local grocery store
egret fishing in a public fountain.
a single white flower floats on the surface of a pond
Everywhere is within walking distance if you have the time.
Steven Wright
This was not just a single walk, or even a single day, but in hindsight it felt like one continuous experience. I am on the cusp of a change, trying to decide how and where to focus my time in the near future. I may begin blogging a little less frequently to make space for other work. Decision making is hard. Walking helps.
Thank you for being here.
The Welcome Party
Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own and makes it so much the larger and better in every way.
John Muir
A female boat-tailed grackle in the park where I walked, singing or screeching (depending on your point of view)
hopping around,
and looking for little scraps of food. She was unbothered by my camera and fun to watch.
The first iguana I saw since arriving in Miami Beach- ran up a palm tree beside my balcony. If I hadn’t seen him do it, I might not have seen him at all. His colors blend so well with the tree.
A fish crow contemplates the grass at South Point Park.
A little iguana I’m calling Ignatius perched himself on the top of a palm branch right next to my balcony - he’s been keeping me quiet company almost since I got here.
A beautiful little starling landed on the peak of a house across the alley, singing its heart out.
Ignatius pokes his head from the palm leaves yesterday - giving me a curious (or suspicious) look.
Small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast.
William Shakespeare
I am always a little nervous about what I’ll find when I come back to Miami. I worry that the people I know won’t be here or that construction projects may have altered the places I know and love. I am sometimes afraid that I won’t find anything new to photograph, and that my photos will become repetitious. This time was no different, but the first morning, when I walked out to watch sunrise, I saw a friend. Then on the beach, I saw another friend. Then, I took my camera out and started noticing the animals. I felt like they were welcoming me, too. I hope you enjoy the photos. I enjoyed taking them!
Thank you so much for being here!
P.S. My technical problems were mostly resolved thanks to my husband, Tom. The new hard drive that I’m storing my photos on got corrupted and he recovered everything and repaired the drive; so… whew!
It has been surprisingly overcast and rainy most of the time I’ve been here so far, but on Tuesday this week we had a beautiful sunrise. This picture was taken overlooking the jetty next to South Point Pier, where some native plants are growing in a protected area.