Sunday, January 25, 2009

The Birds

The spring-like temperature was good while it lasted. It rained Wednesday night and when I awoke the next morning the ground was wet. There was a gray pall over my town that day. The sun peeked for a while during the morning hours and most of the afternoon it was behind the clouds. The rains came intermittently most of the day. It was good for the plants. Weeds? No! Well, maybe in the hills beyond.

The temperature dipped to the low 60's. I stayed indoors and worked on some of my sketches in my study room. I was so engrossed in it when I heard loud harsh "caw, caw, caw." It was a flock of
crows cawing. They landed on my neighbor's backyard tree. These birds give me the shivers. I don't know what it is about them, but that is how I feel when I see them hovering about. They specially like to roost in groups and make a lot of noise.

The crows on my neighbor's tree.
(click image to enlarge)

I padded to the front bedroom, the master bedroom, and there I saw another flock right on my tree which was so close to my house. They scampered off as soon as they saw me spying on them. Then they landed on a birch tree across the street. There were about 20 of them. Eeewww! They reminded me of that movie The Birds, with Suzanne Pleshette. That must be why they give me the creeps.

The flock across the street.

After a little while they were gone. Good. I'd rather have the smaller birds around, the sparrows, pigeons, and hummingbirds. It won't be long though, and I'd see them in my backyard. In the meantime, I'd have to put up with these blackbirds.


18 comments:

Nance said...

Crows give me the creeps too, Mari, maybe because of their black color?

Around Fall, every year, like a clock, there is a tree across our house, where migrating ducks and geese use it as "pee" stop. Boy, they are a noisy bunch! ;) but it's fun to watch and hear them.

ev said...

my first impression about black birds when i was younger was that they eat humans. And so each time I saw one back then near our house, I would right away hide inside my room thinking that the black bird might have been looking for a human life to devour.haha! kids thought are really funny and sometimes horrible.

thanks for sharing this..reminded me how i was before...made me smile Mari.:)

Photo Cache said...

Crows give me the creeps big time. I have been feeding critters (birds and squirrels) in the backyard. On Sats, I would hear the birds tweeting and my husband would shake me and say my friends needed feeding :)

I'm not much of a birder but I could identify robin and blue jays coming in for regular feeding. There one more type I can't identify right now.

Well, no more rain again :(

Sidney said...

Yes...those crows can be creepy...

Mari said...

Nance,
Must be fun to watch those geese and ducks. Take pictures of them, and let's see them. I'll take their quacks rather than the crows cawing. Eeehhh (shivers)

Mari said...

ev,
Wasn't that in the Bible where they ate human remains? Ugh! You're right! Kids' imaginations are wild, funny and sometimes horrible.

You're welcome.

Mari said...

photo cache,
Me, too, I like the smaller birds. I like their chirping.

Mari said...

Sidney,
Yup, they are.

Anonymous said...

When I was little,I thought crows or black birds is a witch's pet.... takot ako sa kanila. Not until we lived in Malaysia esp in Johor Bahru where Crows are a common sight everywhere. sabi naman ng iba may warning daw silang ipinapaabot. creepy 'no?

Anonymous said...

i love birds but im not a fan of black birds.in fairness,crows are intelligent birds!they just need training,though who on earth want to do so?LOL...

spooky when they`re in flocks...

though your shots were good!

your yard with small birds must be a lovely scene,Mari! :D

ghee

Lo Kelween said...

it must a quite a scene to have so many crows one shot lining up there. :)

Mari said...

Crows seem to be the black sheep of the feathered creatures, Ghee. No one is fond of them at all.


It's a spooky scene, Eel Wind.

Dennis Villegas said...

Probably because crows are often portrayed in the movies and comics as creepy creatures. I too don't like these birds.

Anonymous said...

Hi Mari,

Do the crows still visit your trees?
Happy Wednesday!! :)

Anonymous said...

caw caw caw hehehe... yeah crows were creepy, particularly when they're looking at you...

Grace said...

I agree with you, Mari. I looked outside and saw that some snow melted away. Oh, how I wish winter is over here. :)

Mari said...

Dennis,
Yeah, you're right. They are stereotyped. LOL


Ghee,
The crows have flown away, perhaps to bother other neighborhoods. LOL

Mari said...

kneeko,
Stare back at them. That would scare them away. LOL


Grace,
This is the 3rd day its been raining and it's cooooold. I wish spring is here already...now...today. LOL