Random Act of Metaphor: Exquisite Snapshots from a Spring Day at Presqu’ille

Hmmm, if it were not a slow birding day at Presqu’ille Provincial Park, would I fully appreciate the exquisite snapshots that Mother Nature slips into my field of vision?


Snapshot #1. Lighthouse Point seems to offer only the usual suspects this morning. Yellow Warblers, Warbling Vireos, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak or two. But my birdwatcher’s radar picks up the characteristic, buzzy be-bz-bz-bz.  A Golden-winged Warbler! Seldom seen and always a delight.


I locate it first in the tree-tops and track it to a better vantage point at eye level. Golden yellow cap above the black eye patch and black throat. Diagnostic golden wing bars. A standout even among the showy warbler family. And enthusiastic to a fault – flitting about and calling constantly as if to say: Look at me! Look at me!


Snapshot #2. The Presqu’ille marsh seems unoccupied today. Not much to stop me as I stroll the boardwalk. But experience reminds me to scan the expanse of reeds with my binoculars.


And there it is, in its best you can`t see me pose, an American Bittern. Standing rigid amidst the reeds, beak pointed skyward, in its

camouflage garb of yellow, beige and brown. I watch for a few minutes to see if it will flinch. But it is truly patience personified.


Snapshot #3. Rather quiet in Jobe’s Woods today other than the tireless zee-zee-zee-zoo-zee or trees-trees-murmuring-trees of the ever present Black-throated Green Warblers. Perhaps I should turn back and try another trail.


The flash of shocking red snaps me to attention. A Scarlet Tanager! It glides in and perches in a dead tree giving me a perfect view. Scarlet red from head to tail with contrasting black velvet wings. It looks around nonchalantly as it rests as if it is just another average bird in the woods. Can it possibly be unaware how strikingly beautiful it is?


Snapshots of the beauty and diversity of avian life – random acts of metaphor to remind me that the diversity and beauty of nature is always on display if I’m patient enough to linger in those quiet moments instead of rushing on to the next trail.


~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .


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Published on May 18, 2013 17:21
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