4.07.2010

strike up the band

I'm so glad that I broke down and bought a laptop because I can sit on my porch and work—just like I'm doing now. I have a pile of embroidery projects to finish and a blog post to write, and it's a really gorgeous day—almost 80 degrees.

The woods behind my house are full of the sounds of birds. It's like an orchestra and it's fun to try to identify which birds are calling. Some sites I like for identifying birds are Bird Jam, eNature, and The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's All About Birds. All have audio clips of bird songs to help you figure out what you're listening to.

Today I have the chattering of goldfinches in the big pine tree beside the garage, chickadees singsong calling for mates, and something else that I can't quite identify. Maybe the Baltimore Oriole since it's just about time for them to return.

My friend Siobhan, who lives in Belfast and writes a blog called On the Lagan for the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) in Northern Ireland, has a great post about bird sounds posted within days of mine. Great minds think alike, I guess. Anyway, it's a wonderful blog if you're interested in birds (UK or otherwise—they're really very similar to what we have here, although sometimes called by different names), plus she's a much better writer than I am :)

3 comments:

Shirley said...

I'm so jealous. I can't wait to be able to sit outside. We do have quite a few birds here but I think their little beaks chatter when they sing. *LOL* Glad your knee is better. Take it easy. Embroidery is lots more fun than gardening anyway.

Unknown said...

I hope you feel better quickly. I have that trouble every day. I have a floating knee cap, since 77 during HS gymnastics, and other damages over the last 30 years to it, but know my hip and good knee are acting up this week. I think it's the weather. Oh lordy, I guess I am officially old.

MomWaldsPlace said...

It's great that you have a porch and a laptop to take on it, what blessings! We don't have goldfinches, but we do have our own private orchestra. It is a daily delight.

Hope your knee is feeling better very, very soon.