So... herewith a half-assed attempt at catching the daily Flocking of the Birds that occurs every evening here at Beautiful La Hacienda Trailer Park (and the ever-present reminder: best viewed in HD):
I say "half-assed" because my attempt at capturing this daily event was less than successful. While the birds don't quite "darken the sky" each evening with their presence, it's pretty danged close. One of the better aspects of this daily avian congregation is the cacophony of birdsong one hears. It's quite the experience, and very much something that falls into the "ya hadda be there" category. Nonetheless... it's somewhat apparent in the video above.
If you watch the video you'll note I said I was gonna go back into the house and pour my second whiskey of the evening... and that's exactly what I did. I can't think of a better way to kill the requisite half-hour (or so) it takes to upload a video to YouTube.
Besides that... sunset and its immediate aftermath is quite possibly my favorite time of day. Once the sun goes down the birds go to bed (and thus cease their incessant chirping until the morning... quite another story, that) and the night is given over to the quiet hum of air conditioners and the not-so-quiet hum of traffic on US 70, which is only about 400 yards from the verandah of El Casa Móvil De Pennington. But... commerce being what it is... the traffic noises die down to a great extent as night overtakes us. It's a great time for quiet contemplation, and evenings here on The High Plains of New Mexico are oh-so-warm. Perfect, in other words. Once again: ya hadda be there (here).
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I think you did a fine job capturing the birds in flight.
ReplyDeleteYou, Alison and I need to have a beer summit so y'all can teach me how to take pictures. I would really like to be able to take a decent shot but I don't understand my camera or video recorder - too many settings and buttons that are a pure mystery to me.
I'll buy the beer, if you guys will school me.
It is a magical time of the day for sure. We love the birds and have created a sanctuary for them in our yard. With the woods behind us, they don't necessarily congregate in the way yours do - they just make their presence known thru all their late-day songs. As you say - the incredible variation in the # of songs.
ReplyDeleteMagic.
I wasn't gonna watch the whole thing, but it was so compelling and peaceful that I sat glued til the end! The birds do put on a beautiful avian opera, don't they?
ReplyDeleteWhen we were first married -- and could stand to sleep with the windows open -- we fell victim to a semi-annual migration of starlings. Those guys flocked down into the trees behind our house about sundown and started squawking -- not exactly a songbird serenade. And, unlike your feathery companions, they slept in shifts, so we suffered through all-night cacophony. They left on their daytime excursions at about the same time we left for work. We weren't able to sleep at all -- well, my soldier husband could sleep through anything, but I had bags under my eyes til those critters flew the coop.
Funny -- I hadn't thought about that in years. Thanks for putting me on the train for a trip down memory lane!
Daphne: A beer summit sounds like a capital ideer! Isn't Alison planning on coming to the US later this year? And thanks for the kind words about the vid.
ReplyDeleteKris: Magic, indeed. As I said, I love that time of day best. You might even believe the strange thoughts I've had about the birds... along the lines of possible bird-party scenarios. :D
Moogie: Thanks for stayin' for the whole show! And starlings are THE most obnoxious birds, next to city-pigeons. I feel for you and your hubby being in that situation, even though it's long since passed.
Miss Alison will be in LA, but maybe we could coax her further west and y'all could teach me a thing or two over a massive amount of adult beverages.
ReplyDeleteIt would be cool if we could get Andy, Buckskin and Mark (westsound modern) involved too. Ah hell, why stop there, let's rope in Morgan and Gerard, my good NY buddy Mahons and all the fine people who comment at your and my place to come drink too.
We could have a bacchanal!
As I said elsewhere... I LIKE the way you think, Daphne!
ReplyDelete