Johnny Chutney's Top Ten Hamhock Recipes #6
Recipe for stress removal, relaxation, and good thoughts (at least for short time):
1 pair binoculars, cheap or fancy, either will do
1 small camera just in case lifetime moment happens
1 pair shoes boots sandals flip-flops buckets or other footwear suitable for woods & river
1 hat to keep bugs and brush out of long luxurious hair, or short-cropped noggin
1 span of a few hours to dedicate to this endeavor
50-100 birds
1-20 animals
< ten raindrops unless you have:
1 poncho coat parka raincoat tarp large-plastic-bag
Go to river woods. Start walking. Look at birds. Do not count birds as usual; instead, just ... look at them. Enjoy what they do. Walk more. Stop. Listen. Is someone talking to you? Is someone talking to one of their friends, their mate, their children, their rivals?
Walk more, or not. Stop at bank of river. Sit on bank. Watch river glide by. Try not scare ducks or geese, although most likely they will fly away before you see them. Watch river some more. Watch and listen to rippling water, small eddies, floating sticks. See the sunlight play across the hills and mountains beyond. See the sunlight filter through the grasses, the trees.
Meander this way, go that way where you heard a bird make a "chip" sound, a "tsip" sound, or where one is sneaking around in the undergrowth. Can you get close enough to see it? Wait. One minute, ten minutes, it does not matter. Maybe it will come out. Talk to it.
Talk to it, not because you want to make it show itself, but because it is beautiful, it is alive, and you love it. Tell it that it is a special bird. It is.
Walk around the next bend, or chart a path through a heavy thicket to see where you come out. Look high in the trees, look along the middle branches and the trunk, look into the thickets and the shrubs and the little dark hiding spots. Wait patiently. Someone will come, someone will sing or flit or pass overhead on their way.
As the sun lowers, feel the air get cooler, the woods get quieter, and make your way back to the starting spot. Several of your new friends may even see you off before you leave. Good night, Black Phoebe. Sweet dreams.
1 pair binoculars, cheap or fancy, either will do
1 small camera just in case lifetime moment happens
1 pair shoes boots sandals flip-flops buckets or other footwear suitable for woods & river
1 hat to keep bugs and brush out of long luxurious hair, or short-cropped noggin
1 span of a few hours to dedicate to this endeavor
50-100 birds
1-20 animals
< ten raindrops unless you have:
1 poncho coat parka raincoat tarp large-plastic-bag
Go to river woods. Start walking. Look at birds. Do not count birds as usual; instead, just ... look at them. Enjoy what they do. Walk more. Stop. Listen. Is someone talking to you? Is someone talking to one of their friends, their mate, their children, their rivals?
Walk more, or not. Stop at bank of river. Sit on bank. Watch river glide by. Try not scare ducks or geese, although most likely they will fly away before you see them. Watch river some more. Watch and listen to rippling water, small eddies, floating sticks. See the sunlight play across the hills and mountains beyond. See the sunlight filter through the grasses, the trees.
Meander this way, go that way where you heard a bird make a "chip" sound, a "tsip" sound, or where one is sneaking around in the undergrowth. Can you get close enough to see it? Wait. One minute, ten minutes, it does not matter. Maybe it will come out. Talk to it.
Talk to it, not because you want to make it show itself, but because it is beautiful, it is alive, and you love it. Tell it that it is a special bird. It is.
Walk around the next bend, or chart a path through a heavy thicket to see where you come out. Look high in the trees, look along the middle branches and the trunk, look into the thickets and the shrubs and the little dark hiding spots. Wait patiently. Someone will come, someone will sing or flit or pass overhead on their way.
As the sun lowers, feel the air get cooler, the woods get quieter, and make your way back to the starting spot. Several of your new friends may even see you off before you leave. Good night, Black Phoebe. Sweet dreams.