There are so few birds in these out-islands, that spotting a flock of 10 to 12 at once was a significant event. That they were much more than “just birds” made it even more exciting. My eyes traced their swooping, wheeling, diving, soaring flight paths. They called to each other and chorused together as they flew, reveling in the joy of being alive.
My heart picked up the pace—I wanted them to come closer and let me really see them, identify them, claim them as my own. They were oblivious of me, more attuned to one another. Was I watching a mating rendez-vous? It must have been more than that—their passion wasn’t directed one-on-one, but more on freedom, flight and fancy. Where did they come from? Can they be indigenous? I’ve never seen them before in ten years here. Perhaps this is a migration stop-over, in which case, where are they going? Will we see them again?
Their iridescent underbodies and extended wings reflected the turquoise water below, subtly turning them a soft green hue. Their wings wore black banded tips. Their voices were musical, but I couldn’t see more than a red splash of their beaks. It was the sight of the tails that made them startlingly spectacular! Longer than twice their body length, their tails trailed like slender ribbons as they spiraled, dipped and dove in
aerial dance.
Beautiful.
Unusual.
Delightful.
aerial dance.
Beautiful.
Unusual.
Delightful.
Why did my companions give these beauties only a passing glance? Why did they respond "Birds" with a shrug of the shoulders and a smirk at my excitement? Spirits diminish when they lose a child-like wonder and interaction with their world. Surly the Creator found these avians worthy of attention, adorning them beyond basic functionality. Ours is not a Utilitarian Universe so totally dedicated to function as to preclude the value of beauty in hidden places, splendor in colour and form, or surprise in the unusual and rare.
Eyes see, minds interpret, hearts, if allowed, live out the vision. A glance, a stare, a studied examination. Really, truly, deeply seeing. Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s riff plays in my head:
The world is so full
Of a number of things,
I’m sure we should all
Be as happy as kings.
Can anybody out there identify these birds for me? Maybe they live where you do. They're not from my neck of the woods.
10 comments:
I have no idea! I do know that they are beautiful!
Nice post Rosemary...
Rosemary, those are beautiful pictures. I like bird watching also.Discovering a new breed is like opening a Christmas present. Thanks for sharing
it sometime of Tern I think... I'm looking.. LOVE this post!! saw the printed copy on Scott's desk today, which caught my eye.. and reminded me it had been a while since I'd checked in! I'll do some digging.. i love birds!
I thought Murrey was being funny.. that's actually the name of the bird! They mostly reside in Hawaii and Bermuda..
http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/1018/overview/Red-billed_Tropicbird.aspx
That's one of the prettiest birds I've ever seen!
I wish I could identify them but I can't, however they are gorgeous and against a perfect blue backdrop, love it!
Thanks Everybody. Yes, it seems to be the White Tailed Tropic Bird. Seems they come to Shroud Cay here in the Exumas to nest. I have found one person here who knows about them. What a lovely surprise.
Glad you got to identify them. They're beautiful, Rosemary!
Love your post, as always!!
Happy Tuesday!
They look like they're from the Swift family of birds. Avery loves the Swift because they are some of the fastest birds. An interesting note on the swift: if they want to turn they flap one wing faster than the other :)
They're beautiful! Because of the way the currents have been on our coast lately, we have giant seagulls which look like prehistoric birds catching the breezes, flying back and forth across the sea's edge. Amazing to look at an usually not a problem in any way. Unfortunately for us and all our neighbors, this year, just the way the currents are and how close to shore they are catching them, they choose to poop mid air and our cars, sidewalks and windows have spent the entire spring covered in sh.. If they'd just stop eating whatever they eat that has red in it, it wouldn't be quite as bad. Boy is that stuff toxic and hard to clean. Well, so much for the beauty of birds. Yours seem much more beautiful.
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