A Perfect Weekend

This past weekend was one of the most beautiful in memory. Perfect for working in the yard. A steady breeze kept mosquitoes away. The sky remained blue with only fair weather clouds now and then. The temperature ideal, hovering around 70 F. Birds were building nests or sitting on eggs, the males singing at the edges of their territories, all around the yard at Winterberry Farm.

We returned home by mid-afternoon to mow and water our own lawn and gardens. Aria and Bella were tired as were we; all turned in early and slept soundly as a cool breeze wafted in through open windows. A pair of barred owls stirred us from sleep in the wee hours of the morning. Their raucous cackling and laughter sounded close. We drifted off to sleep again.

Sometime before the alarm sounded at 5 am I heard a veery singing from the back woods. They arrived here just last week. The veery lives in the damp woods between our house and the wetland. Their breezy, descending song, vreer, vreer, vreer, vreer, vreer starts before dawn and continues late into the evening. During the day I hear them call, veer. This cinnamon-colored thrush spends most of its time on or near the ground, where it builds a nest and flips over leaves in search of insects.

Monday morning and it feels like just another perfect day.