Birdwatching

Just before a hot drizzle outside today, I sat on the couch by the living room window and noticed an extraordinary amount of bird activity. I don't know much about birds, yet I now have an excellent perch from which to watch them. Situated 15 feet from Sycamore Creek, with the second floor overlooking the tops of Honeysuckle bushes with the Sycamore and Walnut trees towering above, many species visit and stay for the summer.

I have birdwatching friends who participate in the migration counting each season. They have heightened my awareness about the species living here.

When there are changes in the weather, such as a front moving through and such, birds, seem to react. Of course, birds also respond to the cycle of insects morphing from one state to another. Insects too probably respond to weather conditions, and birds exploit that behavior.

I called to my wife to witness the activity, and she too saw lots of birds while I snapped my camera to try to capture them. It is tough to take their pictures because they are fast moving and camouflaged in the undergrowth.

I snapped away, aiming in their direction, trying to get lucky. As usual, there are only glimpses hidden in the leaves. I have a witness that we saw much more than a camera could capture. There is only one thing left to do to create the experience more effectively, and that is to paint it.

Here is a representative view in which birds are active.

Here is one image that captures a bird from the rear view, blocked by a stem.

Here is a chickadee, out of focus because it is an enlargement.

The only way that you can see this bird is as a silhouette. 

The species is unrecognizable.