TheBanyanTree: Spring

[Cecil]

At 8:28 AM -0500 4/16/04, Mark Funk wrote:
>Hope is the thing with feathers
>That perches in the soul.
>And sings the tune
>Without the words,
>and never stops at all. Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886)
>As I left for work this morning, the site of two small birds making 
>a new nest in a hanging planter on our front porch, reminded me of 
>the above poem.  To me spring brings the hope of new beginnings.
>
>And the signs of spring are all around us, even here in the frozen 
>north land of Minnesota.  Besides the birds, on my way to work, I 
>saw people in shorts and shirt sleeves, green grass, newly 
>transplanted pansies in full bloom, tulips with swelling bulbs, 
>ready to bloom and much wildlife activity. 
>
>Later today I hope to make another visit to the area of the 
>Arboretum where the magnolia are displayed.  Yesterday they appeared 
>almost ready to bloom.  To me they are one of the most amazing sites 
>of spring.
>
>My heart swells with new hope.
>
>Mark

Hi, Mark and all y'all.

Here in La Verne there are very few birds other than crows. Very 
seldom do I see a mockingbird and never hear one. When we kept our 
bird feeder stocked it would attract several kinds of birds, mostly 
different kinds of sparrows, doves sometimes, and an occasional jay.

I think the mosquito abatement kills off most of the other kinds of 
insects, and that is the reason for no mockingbirds. That's just a 
guess on my part. Otherwise the environment  here seems ideal for 
attracting them. We have lots of tall trees.

They are incredible creatures to my way of thinking. They abounded in 
every other place where I have lived. Of course they don't "mock" 
other birds, but they do imitate them. When I lived on the Texas 
plains, I heard one imitating a prairie owl perfectly.

I would like to photograph lots of birds and capture their songs on 
tape. Maybe I can do that when I take a trip back to Texas. I have 
one planned for June.

Cecil