GranolaBox

One of my favorite things about springtime is the ability to sleep with the windows open and more importantly to wake up to the sounds of birds chirping. We live along a creek, and on the other side of the creek is a state forest preserve with more types of birds than I’ll ever conceive of identifying.

I always spend a few minutes listening in the morning, trying to distinguish the different calls and seeing if there’s any new species stopping by for a visit. Sometimes it amazes me how intricate and shrill some of their whistles are.

There’s one species that I’m sure would defy identification by even the most advanced ornithologist. It’s what I call the Furry Faced Herman. I’m sure it’s unique to my town since it only seems to roost in my neighbor’s back yard, and even then only around the time he’s ready to go to work.

It’s one species our cats don’t seem the least bit interested in. It only seems to affect our step-dog Ivory. She does one of two things when she hears the ‘Herman. She either runs home, or scootches through our cat door seeking refuge in our bedroom, flying onto our bed with all the reckless abandon a 70 pound pit bull can muster.

I don’t feel at home in the springtime if I don’t hear the birds chirping outside my window, especially the Furry Faced Herman.

Filed under: General Observations on March 16th, 2007