I am on the writing porch watching the flycatchers. I know I’ve mentioned them several times, but everyday they seem new. They even come back every year and they never fade into the background despite their dusty gray-brown feathers. They are small and have a slight peak to the feathers on their heads and a cream colored breast. Watching them watching for bugs is a high-wire, daredevil act in the daylight.
Idea for a future piece > How do you listen to music? Vinyl on a vintage 70's stereo? Streaming to a high-end audiophile amp and speakers? Cassettes on an 80's boombox with the led lights blinking in time to the music? Let's see your set up and what you like/dislike about it. After spending all the effort to get quality studio recordings, I always wonder how musicians listen to music at home.
LOL I cracked up at the idea of myself as a topic of a David Attenborough special!
Here goes: <intone with David Attenborough cadence> “Here we see – a male of the species - in early advanced post late middle age. He seems to wander and reference what -appears to be - a sheaf of do lists and unrelated task items. The evolutionary advantage of the do-list has yet to be determined but the subject behavior is nonetheless - fascinating, and surely intended to attract age- appropriate females. Success, however- is not assured…
Yes, even the Anna's hummingbird - a year-round resident in my part of Northern California - that feeds on the nectar outside my window usually appears a dullish gray-brown from my viewing spot. But from the right angle in the sunlight I catch the allover green sheen and, on the males, the brilliant flash of pinkish red on the throat.
Dismissing North American birds for their lack of color is a big mistake, as I know you know, Neko! The sounds I hear from the unassuming brown birds around my home tell me that.
My two favorite sounds on a recent trip to the canyon lands of Utah came from the blue-gray gnatcatchers (their afternoon song especially) and the unassuming canyon wren. Barry Lopez knew this well, for those who've read his "Field Notes: The Grace Note of the Canyon Wren." This song stopped me in my hiking tracks and brought me to tears.
Having just returned from tropical South Florida - I agree, those colors can be so much more vivid (all those purple gallinules and roseate spoonbills!), even more so in the ocean, but this just means we need to be still, watch and wait a little longer up north.
Attenborough might say “there’s an old fellow (56) who likes to run and has always considered himself a runner. But we can clearly see that his knees have made him quite ill-suited for that effort anymore. “
Olga Corbet -- haven't heard about her in a long time! But it does remind me that I love to watch gymnasts do floor exercises as much as I love to watch birds.
I was hoping you would post today, because I am something like two months into my project of listening to my 6776 song playlist in order by artist, and today I arrived at my Neko Case section AND my New Pornographers section. I thought it was auspicious. It is making this into a great day, even though it's Tuesday, which is historically my least favorite day of the week.
I always thought if I were a bird I’d want to be a peregrine falcon, to go so fast, but you make the flycatcher sound like so much fun I think I’ll change me choice
"What would David Attenborough highlight about you on your personal nature show?" is such a great question/prompt. I really enjoy the way you describe what you see and I like the way you see things. And to answer the question of what would D.A. say about me? Probably that like a crow I am an adapter, a survivor. I'd rather be a raven, but I am, alas, a common crow. But I am clever. And I will keep figuring it out. Not flashy. Not even particularly graceful, yet sometimes still lovely and stark against a washed-out, pearlite sky.
My best Attenborough moment was a few years ago when I bicycled to work in a misty spring morning and a young fox ran across the road followed by a huge hare. They were going zigzag in the meadow 😂
As a UK birdwatcher I've always thought American birds were pretty fancy compared to ours - not trying to out-drab you or anything! I've always said my daemon would be a sparrow because they're small, dusty, easily overlooked, and tenacious. Appreciate sparrows and you appreciate everything x
I've for years made the same self deprecating joke that the lack of attraction by the opposite sex for me is that I lack the required coloring - or fashion - to transfix others... So I do know what David would NOT be highlighting regarding THIS birds plumage...
Cue Attenborough: “This particular Silver-Haired Beach Bum seems not to care that she is rather older than most of the bipedal humanoids that attempt to ride waves with no board or flippers.
We have been studying her for two decades (her nose taking a rather sharp left turn at the tip that is the marking by which observers recognize this particular female).
Although we note that the waves she rides are smaller than those she rode in the past, she seems quite happy to catch the more
moderately sized swells, and makes a face we try not to anthropomorphize into a smile, but it certainly looks like one, even as she gets sand in her teeth, and is fastidious about picking off any pieces of seaweed that cling to her after she slides into the toddler portion of the surf.”
OMG - Olga Corbet! She predates Nadia Comaneci - which I always used to mangle as Comesedici ("how do you say it" in Italian).
Dolphins would be my animal of choice for Mr. Attenborough to wax rhapsodic about. Them or maybe Octopaedi (somone said, that is the proper plural since it is a Greek word afterall).
Hi Neko,
Idea for a future piece > How do you listen to music? Vinyl on a vintage 70's stereo? Streaming to a high-end audiophile amp and speakers? Cassettes on an 80's boombox with the led lights blinking in time to the music? Let's see your set up and what you like/dislike about it. After spending all the effort to get quality studio recordings, I always wonder how musicians listen to music at home.
LOL I cracked up at the idea of myself as a topic of a David Attenborough special!
Here goes: <intone with David Attenborough cadence> “Here we see – a male of the species - in early advanced post late middle age. He seems to wander and reference what -appears to be - a sheaf of do lists and unrelated task items. The evolutionary advantage of the do-list has yet to be determined but the subject behavior is nonetheless - fascinating, and surely intended to attract age- appropriate females. Success, however- is not assured…
Beautiful. I love your writing/watching porch!
Yes, even the Anna's hummingbird - a year-round resident in my part of Northern California - that feeds on the nectar outside my window usually appears a dullish gray-brown from my viewing spot. But from the right angle in the sunlight I catch the allover green sheen and, on the males, the brilliant flash of pinkish red on the throat.
Dismissing North American birds for their lack of color is a big mistake, as I know you know, Neko! The sounds I hear from the unassuming brown birds around my home tell me that.
My two favorite sounds on a recent trip to the canyon lands of Utah came from the blue-gray gnatcatchers (their afternoon song especially) and the unassuming canyon wren. Barry Lopez knew this well, for those who've read his "Field Notes: The Grace Note of the Canyon Wren." This song stopped me in my hiking tracks and brought me to tears.
Having just returned from tropical South Florida - I agree, those colors can be so much more vivid (all those purple gallinules and roseate spoonbills!), even more so in the ocean, but this just means we need to be still, watch and wait a little longer up north.
Attenborough might say “there’s an old fellow (56) who likes to run and has always considered himself a runner. But we can clearly see that his knees have made him quite ill-suited for that effort anymore. “
Olga Corbet -- haven't heard about her in a long time! But it does remind me that I love to watch gymnasts do floor exercises as much as I love to watch birds.
I was hoping you would post today, because I am something like two months into my project of listening to my 6776 song playlist in order by artist, and today I arrived at my Neko Case section AND my New Pornographers section. I thought it was auspicious. It is making this into a great day, even though it's Tuesday, which is historically my least favorite day of the week.
Oops, Olga Korbut, says the internet, because I wanted to watch a video of her.
I always thought if I were a bird I’d want to be a peregrine falcon, to go so fast, but you make the flycatcher sound like so much fun I think I’ll change me choice
I love your blep-kitty profile picture.
Thanks! She’s completely silly ❤️❤️
"What would David Attenborough highlight about you on your personal nature show?" is such a great question/prompt. I really enjoy the way you describe what you see and I like the way you see things. And to answer the question of what would D.A. say about me? Probably that like a crow I am an adapter, a survivor. I'd rather be a raven, but I am, alas, a common crow. But I am clever. And I will keep figuring it out. Not flashy. Not even particularly graceful, yet sometimes still lovely and stark against a washed-out, pearlite sky.
Be the Crow! You are far from common. Crow Medicine is a Gift. Thanks for sharing. (Timely on personal level :) )
Definitely.
Your porch looks so cozy! ❤️❤️❤️
My best Attenborough moment was a few years ago when I bicycled to work in a misty spring morning and a young fox ran across the road followed by a huge hare. They were going zigzag in the meadow 😂
It was the best.
As a UK birdwatcher I've always thought American birds were pretty fancy compared to ours - not trying to out-drab you or anything! I've always said my daemon would be a sparrow because they're small, dusty, easily overlooked, and tenacious. Appreciate sparrows and you appreciate everything x
I've for years made the same self deprecating joke that the lack of attraction by the opposite sex for me is that I lack the required coloring - or fashion - to transfix others... So I do know what David would NOT be highlighting regarding THIS birds plumage...
I would like D. Attenborough to narrate me trying to replace the goddamned weed trimmer line correctly.
Cue Attenborough: “This particular Silver-Haired Beach Bum seems not to care that she is rather older than most of the bipedal humanoids that attempt to ride waves with no board or flippers.
We have been studying her for two decades (her nose taking a rather sharp left turn at the tip that is the marking by which observers recognize this particular female).
Although we note that the waves she rides are smaller than those she rode in the past, she seems quite happy to catch the more
moderately sized swells, and makes a face we try not to anthropomorphize into a smile, but it certainly looks like one, even as she gets sand in her teeth, and is fastidious about picking off any pieces of seaweed that cling to her after she slides into the toddler portion of the surf.”
Peace out, Neko
Loved this post, Neko. Thank you.
What a comfortable looking porch!
OMG - Olga Corbet! She predates Nadia Comaneci - which I always used to mangle as Comesedici ("how do you say it" in Italian).
Dolphins would be my animal of choice for Mr. Attenborough to wax rhapsodic about. Them or maybe Octopaedi (somone said, that is the proper plural since it is a Greek word afterall).
As a bird nerd, I want to thank you for the most elegant description possible of your amazing flycatchers.
Thank you for that.