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January 2007
Birds
By: Brad Reed
Creative Writer
The Duke's Spin
Birds are cool. I'm a bird watcher, but not in the true sense of the phrase. I don't study them, their habits, or their seemingly unpronounceable technical names. I just enjoy them. Watching…listening.
I miss the assortment of feathered friends that called my previous neighborhood home. The All-American Robins, the majestic Blue Jays, the beautiful Cardinals, and the playful Sparrows. They always added flavor to the early morning with their musical chatter. Nature's alarm clocks.
Way back, before I left my own nest for bigger and better things, I raised a Robin. This tale began as I discovered a tiny, featherless baby bird near the base of my neighbor's Sycamore tree. The unfortunate calamity had fallen from it's nest and was struggling on the ground...eyes still shut, with the ominous grim reaper anxiously awaiting it's demise. Wrought by my belief in the urban legend that a human's touch is the kiss of death for all newborn creatures separated from their mothers, I was in a pickle. Should I try to help or should I move on and let life play out? To Hell with it...I grabbed the fallen chirper and ran into the house, not realizing the dedication and constant attention that lie ahead for me. My mom drug out an old, unused aquarium and I shredded some paper. I butchered an old cardboard box that always seemed to be around when you needed one. This was it's new home; a home fit for...well...a gerbil. Tropical fish, gerbils, mice; who cares...this glass cube was surely better than the alternate choice of fate that awaited the unfortunate "birdling".
A few weeks passed. A steady diet of canned dog food, baby vitamins, and water served through an eye dropper were the only menu options. Just like an infant child, this baby bird demanded it's feedings at all times of the day and night. Chirp, chirp, chirp...it's 11:00 PM. Chirp, chirp, chirp...3:30 AM. Chirp, chirp, chirp. Fortunately, there were no diapers to change. No bibs. No burp pads.
Soon, feathers began to appear, transforming this unsightly looking creature into a beautiful bird. A Robin. Regular trips outside began to familiarize the little peeper with it's future home...the great outdoors. We would both hunt beneath my parent's Sweet Gum tree for ants, spiders, and other assorted insects. Looking back, this scene was probably quite humorous to the neighbors, but who gave a damn...not me...not my Robin. I was in my late teens, but I felt like a little kid again. And a proud dad.
Eventually, my Robin "flew the coop" and discovered the soaring neighborhood trees, and presumably scouted for a new home. From time to time, I would linger in the front yard giving my best rendition of "Robin Come Home". And once in a while, it would. From three houses away, it would dive down towards me and light upon my outstretched arm similar to a trained hawk returning to it's master. Awesome!
Yea, birds are cool. Unless you’re a dog. And we had dogs. Sam, our yellow Lab mix decided it was time to stop the love sharing I was having with "bird wonder" and time for me to get back to life in a dog's world, like it used to be. It was over in a split second. One less Robin. One broken heart.
Perhaps this experience cemented my love for birds more than that of the average person's. I don't know, but I'll always remember my little buddy that never had a name. Birds are definitely cool, and the ones I remember from my old neighborhood will begin migrating to New Town as the trees begin to mature. In the mean time, I've encountered many other beautiful birds whose habitat we now share. Egrets, Herons, Hawks, Doves, and those little Sand Piper looking birds who like to run across the ground real fast. I've even seen a Bald Eagle. WOW! Land of the free, home of the brave; right in my own back yard.
Life in New Town has inspired me in many ways and has given me the ability to express myself as never before. Maybe it's the many new friends I've met, maybe it's the old time atmosphere, who knows. Take the time and enjoy this fabulous place the way it was planned and maybe you'll discover untapped inspiration, too. It works for me.
And by the way, birds are cool.
"The Duke of Hempstead"
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