Morning walks are always a pleasure when I visit the sons, whether it be Serbia or the US. This time (US) was no different. I can walk quite a distance unhindered by twists and turns or by vehicles driven by drivers in a tearing hurry. I made the most of my time and walked every single day, morning and night.

This time around the egrets and the ducks were missing from the canal area. I kept remarking about it every time we walked past it. By ‘we’ I mean the L&M and I because, wonder of wonders, I managed to drag him along. ‘Where did the egrets go? And the ducks? They used to be here every single day!’ The L&M of course had no answer.

Then one day I heard something, a kind of honk, and turned to look. A group (Do they have a special name?) of Canada Geese were flying towards the canal. Soon they alighted and were swimming. What a treat! And the very same day, some distance on, I saw a few Mallards too. They were well concealed among the greenery in and around the water, but my eyes picked them out. Lucky me!

Apart from these I saw a tiny bird too whose name I know not. It led me a merry dance flitting from one place to another every time I got close enough with my phone.

I have already shared the picture of the black-capped chickadees last month. Then there was a bird of whom I got just a glimpse as it swooped down on some smaller birds foraging on the ground. Though I couldn’t film the action due to having no prior knowledge that it was going to happen, I did click the foraging birds, but cannot find them anywhere in my collection. Hmm… Now the next few hours will be spent scrolling the album and asking myself, ‘Where did the other bird picture go?’

Meanwhile, here are some more picture from my walks. Of trees and branches and leaves, with added bits of sky and the road. Somewhere in those branches are birds, teasing me by calling out and then flying away with a ‘tee hee!’

©️ Shail Mohan 2024