Post for: #bird ^{(3 Posts)}

Barley, a dog, glances at a pair of ducks (one drake, one hen) in the distance, without showing great interest. The dramatic brush clearing that the grounds crew have been performing has made it much easier to spot when this resident mallard duo has made its return. Of course, I have no way of knowing if it’s the same duo who keeps reappearing every once in a great while, but it’s only ever the two. I like to think this pond, when it fills, becomes a romantic getaway, a secret spot to spend quality time. To my surprise, Barley has shown very little interest in the ducks over the last couple weeks, despite their being around most of the time. Somehow, the way they move just doesn’t seem to get Barley’s engine running the way, say, seeing it does when she sees a cat or a squirrel.

Barley, a dog, is out of focus in the foreground. Above her is a piece of driftwood, balanced precariously over blue water atop concrete wave breakers. At the tip of that piece of wood sits a tiny, barely discernable bird. Unlike yesterday’s photo, the subject of this photo is in focus: That tiny brown raptor sitting way out on the end of that balanced piece of wood. It remained perfectly still on its strange perch, apart from some small head movements, even after I spent a while waiting to see what it would do. Barley, for her part, never even seemed to notice the bird, being much more preoccupied with smelling and tasting the salt-water air.

Barley, a dog, sits on the futon and watches a snowy patio through foggy glass as small birds capitalize on a pile of birdseed. Once Barley was back home from her wintry excursion (her excitement was clear when she recognized where we were), I refilled my birdfeeder and threw some extra birdseed on the ground for good measure. Over the passing hours, Barley lazily watched a whole gang of birds eagerly refuel. Even with the curtains drawn, the glass on patio door remained foggy all day (something that only ever happens when it’s way below freezing outside), and when I closed the blinds that night, I discovered that the condensation had begun to freeze to the glass along the base of the frame.