BIRDS

     I've been sitting outside mornings with my journal and books...partly because the air is so fresh, and because we have so many funny friends in the trees and yard.
     There are some resident squirrels, and many transient birds. I have been trying to pay attention to what's going on back there!
     Some time ago I watched a PBS special on crows which delighted and surprised me. When a crow comes swooping into the trees, it is never a quiet arrival. Often they sound angry and at other times, bored. After learning a bit about them, I would really like to know their language!
     Today a robin flew in. I was hoping he would stay awhile, but he was hyperactive. He landed on the bark and looked for food, then bounced to a tree branch, before hopping up on the fence and flying away.
     I try to let my mind wander for awhile when I'm "communing with nature." Today a question arose: where do these birds sleep? I know the nests are not for sleeping. I had to look it up online, and the results were fascinating.
     I especially liked the part where some birds can sleep "with one eye open," a unique gift from their brains. In a big flock of water fowl, the birds in the center are able to sleep normally because they are safe, but the ones on periphery are vigilant and sleeping with an eye open for predators.
     Where are you safe? Where can you really get rest? Who is on guard in your life?