Yesterday, a barn swallow banged her head into our front window and sat stunned on our deck. Her mate perched nearby, silently watching over her as she slowly came out of shock. A couple hours later, the couple flew away together. There is a great deal we don’t know about animals, including how much they love each other.
The Mandan people call July “the season of ripe cherries.” This year in Nebraska, July has been beautiful. On this morning's walk, the meadowlarks sang their joyful song and the red-winged blackbirds called out from the 12-feet-tall cattails. The cottonwoods shimmered and the grasses were dotted with blue chicory and purple and yellow clover. The red sun rose behind a scrim of clouds. Ducks quacked their way across the sky. Everyone I passed on the trail smiled and said, “Beautiful morning.”
Yesterday Jim and I drove to a bird-banding event at Spring Creek Prairie. An expert was banding a gray catbird recently caught in the mist net. This beautiful bird had a russet patch of feathers on its head and lower abdomen. An area on its belly had no feathers. Instead a small swollen pouch formed a water bottle to keep its fledglings warm.![]()
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When the catbird was released and flew into the underbrush, it meowed like a kitten.![]()
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After the banding, we closed our eyes, stayed silent and listened to all the birds around us. Jason, the prairie’s bird expert, identified a peewee, orioles, red-winged blackbirds, yellowthroats, cardinals, and goldfinches. We walked in the mist of the morning, looking for and listening to birds. Frogs were croaking. Wildflowers were scattered in new green grasses. I hadn’t enjoyed anything as much in a long time.
Yesterday was the perfect spring day, blue sky, warm, no wind. Daffodils, crocuses, Lenten roses, and daisies are already blooming and our apricot tree is about to blossom. Oh joy!![]()
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Our Swainson’s thrushes and red-winded blackbirds have returned, and a bald eagle has been hunting on Holmes Lake. ![]()
In the early morning, a coyote the exact color of the mottled dun grasses hunted to the south of our home.![]()
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At night, we watched the full moon rise over the lake. Below that golden moon, a twirler with batons of golden light greeted the moonrise in her own resplendent way.