Male Downy Woodpecker – Nikon D200, tripod mounted, f7.1, 1/320, ISO 400, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light
After I finished writing my post yesterday about the unnecessary killing of Bob the Sandhill Crane near a campground in Heber, Utah I felt on edge and as if I had been singed by a fire of man’s creation. I hadn’t planned on going out into the field because that post took me quite a while to write but I felt as if I needed to be out in nature to rejuvenate my dampened spirits. It was cool morning and I had opened my living room window to let the air inside.
Then I heard a bird call and almost immediately I could feel myself relax. The call I heard was from a Downy Woodpecker. I stopped what I was doing and smiled because in that moment I could picture the woodpecker even though I couldn’t see it and that calmed and soothed me.
Even though there have been smoky mornings here in the Salt Lake City area I have continued to open my window when I get up in the morning because I like to hear the natural sounds the birds in my neighborhood make as we all start the day.
Canada Goose ballet on water – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1250, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
About two weeks ago I started hearing Canada Geese calling as they fly by before the sun has risen. I know some folks can’t stand them or the noises they make but those geese remind me that “Fall is on the way” as I listen to them and their calls are soothing to me. Soon I’ll be able to photograph them close to home with autumn colors in the background. Just knowing they are flying overhead outside my window is a balm that I’ve sorely needed.
Black-capped Chickadee adult – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
During the summer and breeding season I don’t hear the Black-capped Chickadees at home as often and I’ve started hearing them again as well. I really don’t’ need their calls to remind me that mornings are getting cooler and that the days aren’t nearly as hot but I truly enjoy hearing them as they move through the neighborhood.
I like having my windows open so I can hear the sounds of birds when I can’t be in the field. It helps me to hear them especially when the world is so crazy. I needed that yesterday. I’m grateful for the little things.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my bird photos.
Hear, hear (instead of here, here).
I delight in the songs of the birds too. Some start up a little before first light, and by dawn the chorus is in full song…
Nature is definitely a soothing balm. It got many of us thru the early phases of the pandemic. A walk in the woods or along the shore is “food for the soul” … so sorely needed during our tumultuous times…..divisive politics, natural disasters, world conflict, a pandemic, climate change, so many things being thrown at us humans at once, many of our own making. The sound of a breeze, a bird call, a dog barking, grounds us. One of the most powerful meditations I ever had was a quiet walk along a trail in the woods with a small group, we were all trying to remain silent, then we each backed up against a tree of our choosing and had a 10 minute meditation…..AMAZING!
Always lovely and companionable whether crows and ravens overhead, red-tails, or nuthatches in the trees. Waxwings…catbirds, cardinals. Never taking those songs these days for granted.