The Birds...Are Back

 Last week we watched the Jack Black/Steve Martin/Owen Wilson film, The Big Year. If you're unfamiliar with it, you should find it and watch it. Of course, it's not for everyone, but our family loves it. The film follows a group of birders doing a "Big Year." This is when people travel all over the country/world identifying as many birds as possible in a twelve-month period.

Don't understand the hobby/obsession? Don't worry. They explain the rules in detail throughout the film. Personally, I think traveling to different parts of the country to see as much nature as possible could be amazing, and I'll probably never do it.

Located about twenty miles due south of our house is a world-famous bird refuge. The Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge is located where the Bear River reaches the northern-most part of the Great Salt Lake. I've never been. I should go.

But, I do not need to travel to see at least one bird species. Last spring--our first spring living here--we found out that our valley is a direct migratory path for geese. We watched as thousands and tens of thousands of birds took several days to fly over. It was wonderful...it was beautiful.

This week, we heard the familiar honks of geese and we spotted the first flocks. Before we moved, we knew things would be different, that we'd love some things and miss others. The birds are back. We're so glad they are.

There's More Than Just Clouds Up There...

 My wife, mom-in-law and I were outside this afternoon when I noticed something in the sky. At first I only saw a few birds, so I climbed up on a rock wall to get a better view. What I saw was amazing--the biggest flock of birds flying in a V-formation I'd ever seen.

It's difficult to see from the photo, but you can spot the front of the V just left and above the apex of the roof. The lines of birds continue both up and to the right and down to the right. We--as amateur bird watchers/spotters figure there were around one-hundred birds in that flock headed north...

Migrating.

There's a lot of cool things to see here. Before we moved, I'd lived in the same place for so long, I guess I'd seen so much of it, nothing seemed new. Now, everything we see seems new. I suppose that will wear off in time, but for now, it's exciting--you don't know what's next.

I've heard from friends who lived in this valley years ago. One specifically pointed out all the amazing birds there are to see up here. Since I'm an amateur watcher/spotter, I haven't been seeking out the birds that can be found in the skies above the valley. Who knows...maybe I might be a little more active in that area.