Cameron Books, in downtown Portland, is a cool old used bookstore that I have absolutely nothing to do with whatsoever. It's been around for almost 70 years, and was one of the first things that attracted me to Portland when I was thinking of moving here almost 20 years ago. Yeah, in Portland, folks often think first of Powell's Books, and Powell's is pretty damned amazing, but Cameron's is a place where you can browse through old magazines going back decades, or get help tracking down an unusual out-of-print book. To me, Cameron's Books is as important a Portland landmark as any in the city.
Moving randomly on, I like looking at birds. We've got feeders galore in the backyard (and, that reminds me, I need to go pick up another 50 pound bag of millet). Ground feeders, hanging feeders, suet feeders. Since there's a Cooper's hawk who lives in the area, all our songbird feeders also serve, occasionally, as hawk hunting grounds. There is nothing like sitting in the yard of an evening with a book in your lap and hearing the slam of old Coop doing a sparrow takedown at the feeder hanging outside the kitchen window. If it sounds gruesome, I don't mean it to. I love watching all the birds, from the tiny and delightful bushtits all the way up to mighty Coop. They are living their lives, and if I get to see a bit of it, I feel grateful.
Last summer, we made a trip up to the San Juan Islands for a lovely week of hanging out. We stayed in a little place in Friday Harbor, and did some hiking and picnicking and lotsa eating. It was one of those perfect little vacations from which you come home refreshed rather than exhausted, and during which you get to do something you'd never get to do from home. The highlight of the trip was seeing the orcas, both from a boat tour and from a view point on the west coast of the island. Our first evening, we drove out to Lime Kiln Point with our binoculars and a blanket to sit on. The orcas were moving through, feeding as they went, and we had a wonderful hour or so watching them from the shore. I took lots of pics of the whales, but my favorite picture from that day was of my son watching them pass by.
Finally, a view that I try to appreciate as often as I'm able is the view of the cluster of maple trees in our backyard. It's a view best appreciated from the hammock. The sound of the evening breeze through the leaves hypnotizes me. There's a scrub jay nest in the maples most years, and last year a squirrel nest. It's not a fancy view, but it's a view that renews me a little bit whenever I can experience it. And it's a view, like all these others, that gives me a glimpse into something greater that lies beyond it, and within myself.
11 comments:
I've got a real thing for trees, too. Always have. One of the most relaxing sounds to me is hearing the wind moving through leaves. Love it.
Awesome photos, Bill. Moving to a city with a bookstore that already bears your name? Serendipity, synchronicity, call it what you will, it's gotta be a good sign.
I'm a big fan of the hummingbirds, too. No Cooper's hawks here, but we do have Red Tailed Hawks and more ravens than I can count - love watching them ride the thermals. Isn't it cool to share pics of the things you love best?!
Love the pics Bill. And i too love birds. We only have one feeder right now but eventually I plan to get more and of course there is the birdbath. I love watching the birds dance around. And i love waking up at 4am and hearing all the birds singing...it's such a soothing sound.
Our birdfeeder is on a pole and one day i looked out the window and standing on the top of the pole was some type of hawk...it was an impressive site.
Birds can be a challenge too. :) We had a family of sparrows move into our wall in the bathroom thru an old dryer vent on the outside of our house..second floor. One day I kept hearing them chirping and looked up and the vent and it had closed somehow. So out we come with the ladder, long sticks trying to open it up. Finally figured out we could reach it thru the bathroom window (duh) so we taped it open with duct tape(gotta love duct tape). Love my birdies.
I tried to take a similar picture of the trees in my backyard when I sit on my back deck at dusk. But somehow the feeling I get looking at them didn't come through.
Great post, Bill.
Duct Tape is nature's most perfect tool. Something like that. Glad the little sparrows were saved!
We always have a couple dozen sparrows at least. They form the foundation of our bird population. The most I've counted on the wire need to the two millet feeders was 33.
We also gets all kinds of finches on our Nyjer thistle feeders. Lovely birds, goldfinches, house finches, you name it. I love 'em.
And then a whole mix of other stuff.
The hummers are my absolute faves. We have two in the neighborhood now, male and female Rufous hummers. When I'm out in the yard when they come to work fuchsias, they yell at me. I guess they like to eat in privacy.
In the winter, we often have at least one Anna's hummingbird, sometimes two. In the summers, we make sure there are flowers for them to eat from, but once the blossoms drop I start putting out nectar. The Anna's breed in December, and so once one settles in, she's around all winter long.
And then there's the trees. Ahh, they are so nice. In fact, I'm about to head out there and listen to the leaves, and to the sparrows bicker, and the scrub jays discuss the weather. A perfect way to close the day. Have a great one, everyone! And thank you for stopping by!
Bill, these are beautiful photos and great descriptions. I used to do a bit of rock climbing and have seen a lot of hawk take-downs. It's strange that it isn't gruesome, but I know what you mean. Nature's awesome power.
Your trees make me envious. We had only one, a huge elm in our back yard which my grandfather told me was 100 years old (his estimation). But in '99 it got hit by lightning, rotted inside ever after, and last year simply fell with a mighty thump that left a dent in the patio brick. We're lucky it didn't kill us all, but I still miss it.
i love this. what a great way to get to know people!
beautiful photos and writing, bill.
i also feed birds, but a few days ago noticed the finch feeder was COVERED with tiny red mites. i took it down and haven't refilled it because i don't yet know what to do about the problem. so now my birds are not only full of mites and they're hungry.
:( although i'm sure they're eating elsewhere, hopefully a place with no mites. i did see a bald cardinal at the window feeder a few days ago. probably mites.
Mitey worrying!
Actually, the trick with the finch feeder (or any feeder really) is a dilute bleach solution. Just soak it for a little while, rinse it thoroughly, and the probably should go away.
I haven't gotten mites on my feeders, but a couple of winters ago we started noticing finches with infected sores on their faces. The local Audobon chapter told us there was an infection going round, and said we should take the feeders down and do the bleach water bath.
What made that hard was we had to keep them down for a minimum of 10 days, to make sure infected birds didn't reinfect the feeders. It was sad, because the implication was that we had to wait for the infected finches to die. Plus, for days I would see them in the trees, and they looked so hungry.
Fortunately, we got through that and now all seems well. I actually rotate my feeder about every six weeks to two months. Bring them in, put clean ones out, and then wash and rinse the first!
And Julia, I would be very sad if my maples ever went down. We don't get much lightning out here, but wind storms are not out of the question in the fall.
bill, i thought you might have a solution! thanks. :) i really like the idea of rotating the feeders. i'm going to start doing that.
i love house finches and gold finches, but i think my favorites are the cardinals. they live in a tree next to my front porch -- i can see their nest just a few feet from the window.
Alas, we do not see cardinals out here in the west. Of course we have our own delights. I'm rather fond of scrub jays, though not everyone likes them. And when you get out into the forests you can see Steller's jays, which are very dramatic.
I'm always excited to see something new in the yard, but the every day birds feel like their part of the family. And one of the most delightful moments is when the bushtits sweep through. 20 or 30 at a time, pipping and bickering with each other over who gets dibs on the suet feeders. They never stay long, but it's always a visit that perks me right up.
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