Birds

I have been doing my first real yard work of the spring this morning.  I came out of my garage to the sudden sound of a flock of birds I didn't immediately recognize.  I looked up at the neighbours trees and saw a the flock of birds perched up high -- I knew I knew this bird but could not bring the name to mind.  "It's one Arta has pointed out to you at often the lake" a voice in my head told me. The name was just out of reach...  "they eat berries, you know this bird... you took one with a broken wing into your house in Lethbridge.  You drove it all the way to a vet outside Calgary hoping they could save it, when you knew a wild bird with a broken wing doesn't have good chances. When you called back 2 days later, sure enough, they had put it down. What as is that word...  bohemian!  A bohemian waxwing.  Or perhaps these ones are cedar waxwings." 

I stood there a long time, just listening.  Thrilled.  I kept thinking to myself, "go inside and get Axel." But what if my movement scared them away.  I decided just to stand there and watch and enjoy the sound, even though it was hurting my neck to look up so steeply.

Of course Arta was on my mind. I knew it wasn't actually her visiting me.  If she had a choice she would never choose to come back and inhabit an animal body.  

Suddenly something hit my chest.  I looked down and it was bird poop.  I was so close under the tree, that a bird poop hit me.  I laughed out loud.  Perhaps it was Arta visiting me afterall.

Can you spot the birds?

Update:  here is a video with their chirping sound