Bird’s Eye View

There are times you’ll find nature right outside your window. No need for traveling a thousand miles to search and discover, I found this feathered friend watching me carefully—as I wrote from my desk one morning. What was his curiosity? His eyes studied me carefully as I attempted to find the right words for my latest work.

While my current home is in a busy metropolis with cars and trains and jet liners crossing skyward, there are tiny species of birds that often look in while we are looking out. Most of my neighbors are rushing about sipping coffee and leaving for work, seldom noticing such creatures.

Several years ago, we had a family of owls who came to visit in late Spring. They only appeared as silhouettes in darkening shadows as the day’s light began to transcend into night. Some friends of mine volunteering at the Owl Institute in Montana, thought they could be screech owls.

One late afternoon, we sat on the back deck with family and friends enjoying a grilled meal when several of the small birds spread their wings and hovered like bats from several directions—young adolescents just learning to fly. But as darkness came, they would vanish until the next evening. These visits continued for many years, until one day they did not return. I always wondered what happened to this little family whose eyes would flicker and wings spread wide in the highest limbs.

So many birds today fight to survive. Climate change and development take away wild areas they once called home. In several months, we will move from this place ourselves to a home surrounded by conservation areas—making our own escape from a city that keeps building and faces risings costs from hurricanes.

For the tiny bird at my window, keep watch for years to come.