A bird in the bush...

“The reason birds can fly and we can't is simply because they

have perfect faith, for to have faith is to have wings.” 

- J.M. Barrie, The Little White Bird

As is usually the case, I am up well before they begin to stir.  They weren’t always so plentiful, but when the restaurant opened, everything changed.

I also think it had a lot to do with the small hotel just behind our house in San Diego.  Although I am certain it has been in operation in the past, it has gone pretty much unnoticed.  When the occupancy increased, so did the business at the restaurant - nice synergy!

Prelude...

We live in a quiet neighborhood, with not too much going on in the early morning hours.  In fact, older folk and an occasional family of small children populate our small ‘area of the planet’, so one might argue there is not too much going on any time…that would be if you were a human being. On the other hand, if you were a bird, the story would be completely different.

The years we lived in Missouri, we put a bird feeder in the yard. As the seasons changed, a predictable variety of birds visited us.  In fact, it was not that they cared much for us; they just stopped by for a bite to eat.  Occasionally they ‘sang for their supper,’ but for the most part, they filled their tiny tummies and flew on.

When we moved to Detroit nine years or so ago, we found ourselves living in an apartment in the suburbs…no bird feeder - no birds.  Well, that would not be exactly right, there was a gaggle of Canadian Geese that held permanent residence at the top of a 20-story office building across the street.  Watching these elegant birds land on water is an exercise in grace...watching them land on an asphalt parking lot is an exercise in damage control! 

Four years later we found ourselves in this quiet San Diegan neighborhood, with the equally quiet back yard.  Just across the yard there are a couple of small trees, growing closely enough together to share branch space.  In fact, if one only looked at the pleasantly rounded foliage emerging from their limbs, they appear to be a single tree.  You know what they say about couples that live together for many years...the ways they begin to look like each other?  Well, these two fit the bill!

The permanent residents…

A few months ago, Molly decided to put out a bird feeder.  We didn’t have great expectations, after all this is Southern California, and it isn’t like opening a small bird eatery in our back yard would lure many birds from the plentiful sources of food at their disposal.

In fact, in the early going, there wasn’t much traffic to the feeder.  As the word - should I say the ‘chirp’ – got out, a fair number of birds found their way to the new diner in the neighborhood. 

In time dozens of birds made their way to our back yard.  Because the feeder apparently went up at a critical time in the bird housing market, the two little trees turned into a burgeoning housing development, the ‘small hotel.’  I can’t be certain, but there may be ten to twelve units – uh…nests – in the branches.

As I write this morning, a predictable pattern will emerge.  While quiet and dark at the moment, as night makes its deliberate movement pushing the black to grey to the light of dawn, the trees in front of me will almost magically emerge into view.  When the sun pokes it’s head over the eastern horizon, the trees will become alive with chatter as the birds prepare for the day ahead.

First order of business is breakfast…first come, first served.  Since their residences are so close to the cafeteria, they simply drop from the branches to grab a quick bite on their way to doing whatever it is they do. They don't come all at once, but seem to have an order, and maybe it is just a Southern Californian thing, but they seem surprisingly polite with one another.

More interestingly, however, is the parking lot. The 'parking lot' being power lines connected to the homes in the neighborhood. By the time sun is fully up, fifteen to twenty doves will find a place to park, waiting for an open table for breakfast! A full parking lot around a restaurant usually means the food is pretty good.  The ‘parking lot’ by our place stays full until the food is gone.

The doves actually are too big to sit on the edges of the ‘feeder table.’  Fortunately, the smaller birds are indiscriminate and messy eaters, so a lot of seed falls to the ground.  So it is here where the doves gather.  Cooing and pecking…cooing and pecking until there is no more. Usually by noon the feeder is empty, the morning rush over, and a much smaller group of stragglers poke around until even the ground seed is gleaned.

Most of the days of our lives are spent thinking about our circumstances, what we are going to do for the day, where we might be going and preparing for the future.  These little creatures have the same agenda every single day…where will they find food to survive for the day.  They are truly in the moment.  I doubt they actually think that, but survival is hardwired into them – as it is for all living creatures.  We are one of the few creatures that seem to have the capacity to over ride the survival instinct.  Watching this early morning ‘dance of the birds,’ reminds me how neat the rhythm of life is.  While those birds don’t know it, they provide me a small boost of pleasure for the day.  Those few moments ‘getting lost’ in the cadence of their lives provides an appreciation for mine.

- ted