Chapter 24

Talk about myths getting tangled up, facts joining hands, information getting all skewered… I live in an area where there are many large black birds. I think of them as Crows, except some of them are SO big I can’t help wondering if the BIG ONES are Ravens. An added confusion is that Edgar Allan Poe (The “Father” of the Detective Story Genre) and his world-famous poem, THE RAVEN, is very popular here. Hence, the added wistful yearning that some of these black birds, here, are Ravens.

I’ve seen pictures of Ravens – some Ravens’ beaks are very large. It looks heavy. Can the bird lift his or her head up with a “mouth” that large? Joke, that. I don’t know if the black birds here have that type of beaks.

A group of Ravens is called “an unkindness”. A group of Crows is called “a murder”. I just read, online, “only poets refer to them that way; scientists do not.”

Hmm, that’s too bad [for the scientist]! Life is more fun if you can “dress it up”!

I also read online that Ravens and Crows are the same bird! Now THAT’S CONFUSING!

At the Tower of London, there is a pair of Ravens. Their wings are “clipped”, I think. I know they can’t leave. The reason these Ravens are prevented from leaving the Tower is due to a long, long-standing myth that London would fall if the Ravens left the Tower.

Now, that’s a powerful myth.

Humans thrive on symbols and stories. Think of how humans flock to churches, mosques, temples. There is darn little there, in those buildings, connected to fact – it is all feeling, and faith.

I have read the stories about Ravens and I have read the stories about Crows. Raven “stories” are filled with mystery, power, and intelligence. They are supposed to be VERY heavily endowed with spiritual symbolic implications.

I like those symbols. I KNOW that Crows are very smart and very mischievous. Yet, when I read about Crows (and their symbolic implications), I am let down – they aren’t as heavily “charged” as the Ravens.

The information, about Ravens, at least online, is all mixed up with Crows. Both type of birds are supposed to be EXTREMELY smart.

Where I live, it is hard to tell whether the huge black birds are Crows or Ravens.

I think I’m going to think Crow… Raven… emotional symbolic implications … are the same. If everyone else blends them, why can’t I?

Chapter 23

I don’t understand the urge to keep birds in cages. If you’ve watched birds as they fly through the sky, if you’ve watched them land on the highest branch of the tree, spiral up on the thermal of rising air - why would you want to cage them? I think the urge to cage a bird, is primitive, and not a nice one - jealousy towards a creature who can fly and you can’t – and a wish to possess a precious bright jewel.

We humans are full of emotions, some of them not so nice.

I’ve seen parakeets in cages, all my life. I’ve smiled when I’ve seen them and I’ve listened. However, a few years ago, I saw a special on Television on the animals [and birds] of Australia. To my thunderous amazement, I saw a HUGE flock of PARAKEETS flying through the sky!

This rocked my senses, and changed my perception of this small bird. I never thought about those beautiful, bright colored birds as anything but a small bird that you keep in prison, for your personal pleasure [and not his/hers].

Parakeets are small to medium-sized birds who generally have long-tail feathers -- in comparison to the rest of their body, understand?

The “Pet” Parakeet didn’t start out as pet. Their proper name is Budgerigar, or Budgie. They come from the drier parts of Australia and have lived in the neighboring islands, of Australia, for over 5 millions years.

Can you believe that, five million years! An older orthographic term, for the parakeet is “paroquet”.

However, I’d like to call them by their original name, Budgerigar! BUDGIE!

Seeing that special about Australia’s environment changed how I feel about those birds and the idea of caging a creature that is meant to fly! Do you hear me, there are HUGE FLOCKS of bright little budgies flying through the sky!

There is also a group of wild budgies in San Francisco, California. They are descendents of parakeets who were let free [abandoned] by their owners. There is a man in San Francisco, a homeless man, who’s made it his life’s work to take care of these wild bright jewels in San Francisco. There was a documentary done on this man, in the last ten years. It’s kind of cool, what he does. Makes me wish, I were there. I’d like to meet him.

If I kept a bird in my home, I’d probably have to let it fly, give it/him/her his own room. I can’t stand the idea of being “beauty’s jailer.”

I’d rather keep the Budgie in my heart as a symbol of hope -- for nature, and for beauty.

Chapter 22

A Lyrebird is a ground-dwelling Australian bird. (There are two species – Superb L., or Albert’s L, named after Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria.). They are “Mimicking Specialists” – because their syrinx muscles are “complex”. I don’t know what this means, I am not a scientist. I’ve never seen a Lyrebird, but I’ve heard them on Television – and I WISH I could see one. They can imitate – other birds, chatter of a flock of birds, other animals, and human noises, machinery of all kinds, explosions and musical instruments. I read that a Lyrebird can carry two tunes at the same time!

Humans are jealous creatures, I think. We saw birds fly, and we wanted to fly. We couldn’t do it naturally, so we built the machine to carry us. We listened to the birds, and we tried to sing – like them. Sometimes a beautiful singer [human] will be complimented, like so – “she sings like a bird.”

Can humans mimic as well as the Lyrebird? Again, not naturally (although some try!), but then we created tape recorders, electronic studios, where sounds are blended together.

We always want to be more than what we are, humans. We’ve done a good job of it, too. Our ability to create is commendable. I wonder though - will we ever fly to close to the sun, like Icarus… [in the myth of the son and father, who flew with waxwings over the sea. Icarus’ wings melted, because his curiosity got the better of him. His ego soared… too high. He wanted the sun, so he flew up, up up, until he fell into the sea.].

Perhaps a Lyrebird could be thought of as a fun loving, feathered storyteller. Well, you have to have a cast of thousands to get the story right, hmm. Therefore, perhaps, the Lyrebird creates his characters, through the extraordinary range of his voice.

Chapter 21

A great exercise, and meditation [in movement], is the “Standing Crane” position. You stand, balanced, on one leg, while you lift the other leg up, knee bent. You place your hand out in front of you, palms facing the direction you are looking “towards.” This is not easy, and yet, when I pull it off, I do think of the Crane, standing in the water, on one leg. I feel a kind of peace, with that thought.

However, I just realized that the “Cranes” I have seen, in my geographic area, are not Cranes, but Egrets, which are Herons. The main difference between these two bird clans is that when the Crane flies he extends his neck and head out. He is a pencil. The Egret flies with his head pulled back, his neck a winding road. He is a crooked house.

But …. !?*%&^^%^#! The peace I felt seeing the Egret standing in the water, in a nearby creek, was real. I thought “crane”, and I remembered the mythological lore of the Crane in Asian countries - the cranes' beauty and their spectacular mating dances have made them highly symbolic birds in many cultures with records dating back to ancient times. In Korea and Japan, certain set of people peform Crane Dances. The crane is a symbol of longevity [often represented with other symbols of long life – such as pine, bamboo, and the tortoise].

When I’ve seen the Egret fly, it is like watching a sculpture moving through the air – that neck which stays – a stairway with steep steps. They astound me.

According to tradition, if one folds 1000 origami cranes one’s wish for health will be granted.

Could I have my wish granted - that I can think of the Crane’s myth, when I see the Egret? How different are these birds?

Chapter 20

“To dream of the Eagle is to be spiritually validated as a person of great wisdom and insight concerning both this world and the spiritual realities beyond.”

What if you see one, by chance [and you’re wide-awake]?

This morning, I was driving down the road, a four-lane highway divided by a grass median. At one particular stretch, the houses disappear, the turnpike is a faint faraway growl, and the restaurants with their bright colored signs and lights have disappeared. At this particular stretch of the road, there are trees on either side of the road – a four lane-highway, one road going one way, the other road going the other way.

On the other side of the road, I saw, high in the trees, a large shape. It was a huge bird, perched in the uppermost branches. It was so big, that I immediately thought it must be a Vulture, because Vultures are that big, and there are many, many Vultures in this geographical area. However, as I approached that spot in the road, as I was on the opposite side of this tall tree, and huge bird, I looked at it, hard.

I caught my breath. The feathers on his back were brown, not black, like a Vulture. His head and neck wasn’t red, like a Vulture.

His head and neck were covered with white feathers.

I knew it was a Bald Eagle. That startled me. It is unusual to see one, here.

My first reaction was to wonder/think about what it means – was this symbol, hope?

They are supposed to be symbols of power. Makes sense that the USA would choose the Bald Eagle as its national bird and symbol.

That’s what I thought was “weird”. Here I was going to teach a class, where I was going to talk about the Star Spangled Banner, which is the national anthem of the USA, and I see the National Bird on my drive there [to the college].

About a year or so ago, on another road, I thought I saw an Eagle, as well – but this bird was all brown feathers - I just read that the young Bald Eagles are completely enveloped by brown feathers (their white headdress develops as they mature)… The reason why I thought that bird was an Eagle was that he just didn’t “look” or “feel” like a Hawk. I don’t know.

I have no doubt that the bird I saw this morning was an Eagle.

That’s rare, I think. They like to be away from humans, and they like to be near large bodies of water, and streams. Where I saw this bird, was an old woods/tangled up tall thicket. The water nearby is more of a marsh, at least near the road! Still, where I live is an important rest stop, for migratory birds! This little old state is a tropical oasis for birds!

Bald Eagles are birds of prey – their diet consists mainly of fish. I read online that the Bald Eagle builds the largest nest of any North American bird, up to 13 ft deep, 8 ft. wide, and 1.1 tons in weight (!#$%*%$$!!!!!, in regards to how much this nest weighs!)

I also read that the Bald Eagle soars [flies] on “thermal convection currents”, heat, baby, heat! It reaches a speed of 35-44 miles per hour, while gliding, and flapping and 30 miles per hour while carrying fish.

This symbol of power, the national bird of the USA [you’ll find his portrait on many American coins] squeaks. He has a shrill cry, punctuated by grunts.

Its symbolism goes back further than the beginning of the USA. The Eagle is a symbol of great wisdom and vision for the Native Americans, specifically Navajo and Crow Native American legend. The Eagle also graces the pages of ancient Greek and Hebrew literature.

In Native American lore, if someone dreams of an Eagle, he or she walks outside of society – touched by the hand of the Great Spirit.

What does it mean when you see one?

I felt like I had glimpsed something, private, special. I felt – honored.

It was queer feeling. Not bad, just … odd.

Chapter 19

Microcosm reflects the macrocosm. If you have problems in coping [with your life], look towards Nature – be humble. You CAN find your answers if you only look – and recognize.

There is a saying “banging your head against the wall”. I feel like my life is that – so many times, that’s all I feel like I’m doing, in trying to get things done, in trying to get through to another human being, in trying to SUCCEED. Bang your head against the wall until it crumbles. Bang your head against the wall until someone on the other side goes Huh, who’s there? Bang your head against the wall until you collapse.

Is that my life? Perhaps, it is.

This weekend, I decided to contemplate the Woodpecker. Until this last year, I’ve never thought much about woodpeckers. Love the bird, laughed at the cartoon, “Woody Woodpecker.” However, Woodpeckers never meant much in my microcosm.

Until recently - there was an old tree on my property. I was aware that it was dying. It grieved me. This tree meant a lot to me. It’s been in my life for a long time.

During the summer, I heard this PECK PECK PECK PECK. Or should I say POUND POUND POUND?I went outside, and looked up towards this tree, and saw a wee black and white bird with a tiny bit of red on his scalp.

It was a woodpecker! He was so energetic, that he almost seemed cheerful.

I was filled with - a giggle. At first, I thought, no no don’t hurt my tree, but then I realized, he was going after the insects that were killing the tree. Therefore, I cheered my little black and white friend on.

A woodpecker has a thick skull. His pounding “his head against the wall” doesn’t hurt him. How do I get “tough” enough, to emulate the woodpecker?

I would be in my room, and I would hear him, from time to time, peck, peck, peck, peck.

Well, he didn’t save that tree. However, my bush, outside my window needs tending – and I saw him there, again, within the month. Made me smile, that.

The woodpecker looks for weaknesses in the wood. He finds the soft spots, and then he pecks his way through.

Maybe that’s the answer. Look for the soft spot in the wall, before I begin pounding my head against it.

The woodpecker also hammers against the wood to announce his presence, and claim his territory. I can’t help thinking of the old cliché “pecking order…” I like the concept of the woodpecker. I think I want to be him.

Nobody pecks on me! (Pick, peck, get it?)

Chapter 18

Years ago, I had read a children’s nature book on the Turkey Vulture, aka, Buzzard. It was a good book, and made me like the bird. This book pointed out that the Vulture is like the garbage collector of the natural world. He feeds almost exclusively on carrion, i.e., DEAD animals. He cleans up. Therefore, the Vulture is useful. He has a job to do.

Still, he is frightening, in a genuflecting sort of way. When I see a Vulture flying in the air I stop and watch. He is so peaceful. I read, recently, that vultures use “thermals” (rising currents of warm air), to move across the sky, so the vulture doesn’t have to move his wings very often.

The Vulture, for me, is a symbol that death is inevitable. His peaceful flight, intimates that we should “relax” and “accept”.

Vultures fly HIGH in the sky. I’m amazed that the smell of the dead animals (gases rising) would reach them. Is that because the gases are that strong, or that the Vulture’s sense of smell is that powerful?

Recently, I saw a group of Turkey Vultures sitting in a tree. I almost drove off the road, when I saw them. Well, I’ve seen Crows perched at the top branches of a tree. A vulture is about five times the size of a crow. To see a group of them in a tree was overwhelming. They are social animals. Interestingly enough, they lack a “syrinx – the vocal organ of birds”. That’s probably why you would never hear them sing. They grunt. They hiss.

Once, I was walking through a cemetery and I saw a pair of Vultures high in the sky, above my head. I couldn’t help but whisper, “I’m still alive! Go away!”

(I found a picture of Griffon Vulture. He's the one with the "white head". There are many different kinds of Vultures throughout the world. I’ve never seen this particular vulture. I couldn’t help but include this picture. He is impressive.)

Chapter 17

Sometimes, I wish I knew more "facts" about the American Robin (a bird). He/she is a migratory bird who is supposed to be the herald of Spring. When you see your first Robin, it is a sign that Spring is here.

A few years back a woman told me that her husband, a learned "birdman" said that that was a myth, that Robins don't migrate, that they stay here all year round. I know that I have seen them, hiding in the bare bushes, during the winter months (as I walk around town).

Being told that, that Robins don't leave and come back at the beginning of Spring, was devastating. The Robins being the first sign of Spring was part of my childhood.

However, recently, I read on-line that Robins DO migrate. I've also read it in books.

Here's a thought - what if the state I live in, is one place where the Robins go to? Perhaps Birds, like humans, don't follow "the rules"all the time.

The Robin is a vivid bird - black feathers on his wings, and his head, and his back. His chest, and belly, is covered with beautiful orange feathers -picture a man wearing a black suit, and a BRIGHT orange vest/shirt. He is proud - he raises his chest.

That's the Robin.

Yet, I've seen Robins, with dull brown feathers, and a washed out orange chest and belly. They are like frail imitations of what I believe a Robin looks like. What is that? I think those are older Robins. However, I don't know! What I do know is that Robins are not just one shade of black, and orange - they aren't all big and proud. They don't follow the rules.

I just read in a book that Robins forage during the day (look for food), and then get together in groups at night. This passage insinuated that Robins are alone while they look for food.

My response to that is - Oh yeah?

The other day, I was walking in a park and I saw HUNDREDS of Robins flying around! They were feeding, oh yes, but they were doing it in groups. They would rise as a group, soar in the air, and land on another patch of grass. Some of them would break away but they always came back to the group.

They sing - beautifully.

Ever have a Robin try to stare you down? They do it. You just have to look at them, REALLY look. They'll spread their legs apart, cock their heads and stare HARD at you. I can almost hear them say, when they do that...

"WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT!"

It makes me laugh that. I've called them the JDs (juvenile delinquents) of the bird world, ever since - birds with an attitude.

Hmm. Makes the concept of "the bird who breaks the rules" more - real.

My sister's name is Robin. Each time I look at the American Robin (the bird) I smile, and say hello. I'm usually thinking of my sister, then.

Not that my sister "has an attitude". That's more my role.

Hmm. Maybe that's why the American Robin (the bird) makes me laugh.

I like them. I can identify.