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Thursday, January 13, 2011

Time for Listening

Scrub Jay in the Sweet Gum - Blue
Sometimes it is just nice to listen.

There is a time for listening to the quiet sounds of nature, letting it wash over us, clearing our heads. The little voices of thought can be heard without the constant hum of inside life.

Then after we have bathed ourselves in the sounds of the outdoors we somehow bring that back with us and share it with others, having refreshed our own spirits.

I found a few moments this morning in between sprinkles of rain to watch a few birds, take a few photos, and have a quiet time away from the busy morning routine.

Enjoy a few images from my listening time....

Scrub Jay in the Sweet Gum Tree
Western scrub jays are frequent visitors to our feeders and this week they have been chasing the smaller birds away so they can gobble up all the sunflower seeds.These birds are not even afraid of the squirrels that are competing with them for food. The birds will squawk and the squirrels will chatter and it is quite the scene.

Finches in the Sweet Gum
The goldfinches don't mess with the jays and they hang out in the sweet gum tree, hanging upside down to snatch the seeds from the sticker balls.

Goldfinch in the Sweet Gum Tree
Here you can see the goldfinch's color as he reaches over to his snack.

Winter is a good time for listening.

5 comments:

  1. Amazing photos! My girls are much too loud ..... even though I shhushh them. Your camera must have an nice zoom lense. Mine is only 10x. I plan to feed the birds soon so we can view them more often. It will give my cat something to look at too!
    Monica

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  2. I've been thinking the same thing. A little saddened that it's too cool to open the windows to here the Juncos that are hiding out in our Cedars chatter happy talk all morning long. But it makes me stop anyway and just listen....

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  3. so lovely... i just love your blog!

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  4. Throughout my many years of working with kids in nature studies, one of my favorite questions is always "Which animal can you always hear in the woods? Which is the loudest?" Depending on the age of the kids, they usually figure this out fairly quickly. If not, we just listen for a while & I ask them to tell me which animals they hear. Sooner or later they get it! Listening is a valuable skill for all of us, one that helps us to learn and understand so much about animals and ourselves. It is a discipline well worth developing and one that kids can learn to be very good at- once they undersand the reasons for it! I follow you frequently and always enjoy your posts - Kudos for this one!

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  5. I want to thank you for your two wonderful blogs!
    I recently discovered them and are excited to look through all that you have posted!
    We are a homeschool family living on the edge of the foothills of Colorado. Wildlife & nature are all around. We also love to study & create all kinds of art.
    Thank you again for all your wisdom you share & I look forward to slowly grazing through both blogs!

    Blessings!
    Malinda @
    vintagehomesteademporium

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