|
|
Tales of Spring
publication date: Jun 14, 2010
|
author/source: Justin Lake K1685
Tales of Spring
Justin Lake K1685
It is nearly summertime and it has been raining for weeks now. My family and I have had some serious cabin fever. For a little break I like to go to the coffee house in town where many good people gather. It is right on the shore of the Salish Sea (Puget Sound) and there is a family of river otters that can often be seen crossing the quiet streets of Port Townsend. One day I was there sipping coffee when the sun finally broke through the clouds. The wind was blowing strong off the shore and the clouds were racing by in wispy layers. The waves were glowing brilliantly blue in such a way that looked almost tropical. I was drawn outside and met with a warm humid wind and sun on my face. For a moment I thought I might somehow be in Hawaii. It was a little disorienting, as spring weather tends to be. But I love this time of rapid change.
The rain has brought out every color of slug and snail in the forest and they have relentlessly eaten our garden. They pass by all the plantain, nettles, and dandelion to get at our nice tender kale, spinach, and chard. Sometimes I wonder why I bother to grow greens when there are wild greens everywhere. Maintaining a garden is like maintaining a vacuum in the forest. Nature sends every weed and creature imaginable to reclaim that space.
Slugs are beautiful and fascinating creatures, though. I saw a brilliant orange slug doing something extraordinary one day. She had climbed to the tip of a tall fern, which was drooping down. From the tip she attached a thread of slime and was lowering herself to the ground like a spider!
The birds of spring have returned; this makes for a spectacular morning chorus. The songs of the black-headed grosbeak fill the air and the spiraling trill of the Swainson’s thrush gives the forest a magical feel. I was clearing shrubs away around the cabin one day when I found a nest in the base of and Indian plum. It was stuffed with green leaves and when I pulled them aside there was one small broken egg underneath, cream colored with brown spots. It is still a mystery to me but I am guessing it is a spotted towhee nest raided by a rodent. What was so interesting to me about the nest was that it was lined with fine raccoon hairs. Then I remembered the raccoon hide I had placed under the nearby cedar tree. It had gotten too smelly to tan so I gave it back to the soil. I had no idea that it would provide a nice source of lining for bird nests.
It seems everything I do here effects everyone else who lives in this forest.
The bird feeders outside our window certainly have an effect on the patterns of the seedeaters. All day long the juncos, grosbeaks, chickadees, purple finches, and song sparrows visit this larder while the towhees and chipmunks pick up what gets dropped to the ground. On these rainy days we can sit in the cabin and watch the birds for hours. Having no electricity, this is our source of indoor entertainment.
But a menace has just moved into our part of the forest, causing all sorts of alarm. At first I chased her away from the feeders by throwing stones, but that didn’t feel right. It is not easy to feel compassion for a nest robber, especially one who can drain your bird feeder in a couple hours. But I guess the Steller’s jay needs to eat too.
One day I had an idea. We have this book called “The Backyard Birdsong Guide” that has an audio player of over 100 bird voices. So the next time that jay came back I hit the button and played a nice loud red tailed hawk, “Kee-eeee-arrr”. That Steller’s jay took right off and I heard her in the distance “Shook shook shook shook shook” followed by her mimicking hawk call. I was laughing so hard and felt very clever. Often I’ve heard her mimic a hawk to scare the songbirds and this time she got a taste of her own medicine. Springtime brings some interesting characters to our neck of the woods.
I will conclude where we began with a story about some of the most beautiful weather I’ve been in. It was a calm spring day and the sun was shining bright in the late afternoon. Suddenly the clouds rolled in and the sky burst with pouring rain. I rushed outside to close the windows on the car. The rain felt inviting so I took off my shirt and hat to feel its coolness. Thunder clapped overhead and I could feel elation all through my body. With arms raised in gratitude and chilling rain on my face, I felt the warmth of sunlight on my back. The sun was shining from the West beneath the clouds. When I looked to the East a full rainbow was shining against the clouds like the doorway to a great lodge in the sky. Just then an eagle leapt from her perch in a tall cedar tree to fly through the brilliant rainbow right before my eyes. Thank you Thunderers. And thank you, the readers, for listening to these tales.
|
2 Comments Posted Leave a comment