Thursday, November 25, 2010

Day 56: Imitation (Is a Good Thing)

Peters Hill, Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain, MA, 6:35am-7:25am
nippy, windy, mostly clear

It's only about three feet off the ground, but I love my little viewing nook this morning, tucked between two huge branches of a prominent White Oak. (It'd be absolutely perfect without the awkward bump sticking out of it, but for a sunrise hang I'll take it!)

A dreamy lucid and tender blue lights up the horizon and I feel like I'm in another place and clime than the Northeast. Not sure where - but it's transporting. A wisp or two of brilliant gold waft above some strewn pink haze. Lovely.

From my tree I feel protected, even though the wind whistles right through the nook. Something about having a trunk on either side of me, craggy strong branches descending before me, and the rustle of the last leaves above my head create a sense of sanctuary. I also feel invisible to the dog walkers and other humans, which is always fun!

Today's bird was faking hawk. Luckily I recalled from a skim of a bird book that jays sometimes imitate hawks.


Here you can hear that extra pitch at the end of the hawk "Awww" descent call. That extra note, plus the non-plussed continuous chatter of other birds assures us it's only a blue jay:


After I recorded this clip, the jay came right up to the branch next to me and "Awwed" one more time as if to prove his talent.

Makes me feel good, the rampant imitation in nature. It reassures me that what I'm doing is in the natural order of things!

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