When Blackbirds Sing

For the past two days while riding my bike around town, I have been struck by the sounds of hundreds of blackbirds who have congregated in one of several oak or maple trees as I pass by. I have to stop a moment and gaze up to the trees for a close look at what the bird convention would look like, but unfortunately I don't wear my glasses and I can only see scattered dots among the leaves. The noise is spectacular..a deafening cacophony of tweets, chirps, squeaks and squawks. Although the sound brought to mind the Alfred Hitchcock movie of the 60's, there was nothing scary about the way they sounded, but then again, even as a 10 year old, I thought that "The Birds" was a very silly movie. Who ever heard of birds pecking someone's eye out... well, anyway you can see that I am a bird lover. As I listened, I wondered what was going on; was this a farewell party before the migration, a meeting to discuss bird politics, bird version of gospel singing? How delightful to hear all those birds, with so many different voices and so much to say. I also wondered whether they were all blackbirds, or grackles or starlings or a mix of many, as you could hear distinct differences in the sounds if you really listened. Well, when I returned home from my ride today, I sat on the front porch to rehydrate and thought about how those birds made me wonder. It was very quiet except for a few crickets and an occasional rustle of leaves, but as I looked to the sky I suddenly noticed a flock of blackbirds flying overhead in the distance to a tree in my neighbors' backyard. They seemed to be in groups of seven or eight, and  as I had been thinking of them, it was magical to see them continuously flying within my sight. Before long, there again was the treat of a symphony of sound and fluttering activity, as hundreds continued to land in the nearby tree. Never one to dismiss the opportunity to project my views on to my furry and feathered friends, I knew they were singing a message to the human who would listen... One people, One planet.