The Amazing Birds of Paradise

On some spring days I feel a bit melancholy.
I think it is because the air can be warm (89 degrees) and humid like today, and heavy too. The leaves in the dense woods are just emerging and their green pollen is covering everything, giving a strange powdery tinge to the cars, roofs, windows, even to the air and to my mood. The sky looks a smoky gray because of the pollen haze, and when the sun occasionally peaks through, it only brightens the foggy air to citrine. I was sweeping up the pollen from the terrace level patio and noticed that a bird has indeed made a nest right above the french doors. I didn’t have the heart to take the nest down, as they work so hard at making them, even though I do not look forward to the mess right outside the door until the babies fledge. Hundreds and hundreds of acres of woods and parkland, and they always seem to prefer my house. As you know already, I love the birds, and I marvel at how they go about their business of survival all day, singing a song, and with a work ethic that is incredible. There are so many places without the sweet sounds of nature, mostly because man has destroyed huge parts of the environment, and thinking about that puts me in a funk. I have always, because of my Grandfather, been drawn to many parts of the Native American culture, and in particular, a quote shared with me by Grandpa. I draw heavily on it in my design work, my gardens, in my life.

   “Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.”  Chief Seattle

I have known a few folks that have pet birds that were collected from the wild. Many are endangered, yet they remain important to the health of the environment from where they were removed.

“Some birds are not meant to be caged, that’s all. Their feathers are too bright, their songs too sweet and wild. So you let them go, or when you open the cage to feed them they somehow fly out past you. And the part of you that knows it was wrong to imprison them in the first place rejoices, but still, the place where you live is that much more drab and empty for their departure.”  Stephen King

This video came to me, and again, how fitting as I was thinking about whether to write this post or not. But my hope is with the next generation….children who appreciate and know something about the precious world we live in. I hope you will watch this video, and maybe watch it again with your family, especially your children. It is truly breathtaking, and a reminder that there are still a few hidden treasures in the world, and they must be revered and preserved. I guarantee you will be mesmerized. Suggestion…..watch full screen to see the incredible details on these birds.

Most of us know the sad story about the disappearance of the beautiful Passenger Pigeon, but did you know that along the entire eastern seaboard there was once a parrot called the North Carolina parakeet ? Gone.  read about these birds here. Perhaps after watching the above, you and your children might want to further read about the most endangered birds right here in North America, including the Snowy Owl, the Whip-poor-will, and the Atlantic Puffin, shown below. Photos and story about these endangered birds is here, courtesy of  Onearth

The Atlantic Puffin, one of North America’s most endangered birds. Photo from National Geographic.

     “What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, man would die from a great loneliness of spirit. For whatever happens to the beasts, soon happens to man. All things are connected.”

For more photos of birds that are breathtaking, here is a terrific link, photos by Robert. There are birds here I was unaware of, like the Purple Starling above …the colors, oh my goodness. thank you for stopping by. Laters, charisse