Birdie ( no, not our Birdee) watching

by Goldie

I have discovered a new passion. Identifying birds I see. I even bought a book “Birds of Wisconsin” to better help me. Now, for years I have been smart enough to identify Robins, Cardinals and yellow finch (flying Lemon’s as my dad called them). The usual mundane sort of bird that you see on a daily or at least a regular basis. But something happened a few years ago to change that for me.

We were driving in MN through the woods of a resort we were at. Suddenly, I screamed at Mr. Goldie to ‘STOP THE CAR”. “LOOK!!!!!!! DO YOU SEE THAT?” It was a pterodactyl burrowing into the tree. OMG, I had never seen anything like it! He says to me “look at what, the woodpecker?” “Woodpecker? That is no woodpecker- LOOK AT THE SIZE OF IT!”. He looks again and informs me it is indeed a woodpecker. “Looks just like Woody Woodpecker doesn’t it?” Then he asks me “you didn’t think that was just a cartoon did you?”. Ummmm, yes. Hell, in southern Wisconsin our woodpeckers are only the size of Robins. Who knew? Apparently he did, and got a good laugh about my astonishment and awe that Woody Woodpecker was indeed modeled after a real bird (which is apparently still thriving and putting the fear of God into insects living in Minnesota).

Since that time, I have looked up birds and have been so happy when I can identify the names or see birds I had not ever seen before. Lots of new ones around the ponds we walk Pepper, and in our own back yard or at the camper.

Now we all know that birds are hatched. So finding bird eggs is exciting for me too. I have found robin eggs and sparrow eggs, etc. I always wonder when I see the shell if the bird hatched and lived or if it fell from the tree or was gotten by some varmint. I mostly wonder what kind of bird it would have been.

A few weeks ago we were walking Pepper when I spotted it! An egg I had no clue about. Hidden slightly under a pine, in the grass by the sidewalk we were on. I thrust the dogs leash into Mr. Goldie’s hand and told him to keep her away. I leaned down and peered intently at my treasure. It was slightly mud splattered from the recent rain and was a faded reddish color with and almost iridescent inside. I gently picked it up and examined it. I had never seen a red egg, and while one end appeared to be broken through, it was almost intact.

I was so excited about my find. I was going to carry it home and look it up. At this point Mr. Goldie’s attention was back to me (he had been picking up dog poop) and he asked to see it. I ever so gently placed it in his palm and admonished him to be careful. Don’t break it!!

After several seconds of looking at my little birdie egg, I asked him if he knew what kind of bird it had come from. His lip quivered and I gave him the evil eye. “WHAT?” ( I am not liking the way his lip is quivering even harder) when he bursts out laughing!! “WHAT THE F*** ARE YOU LAUGHING ABOUT?” I demanded to know. He gently hands back my egg and looks me in the eye and says “Goldie, that is from the elusive Christmas bird”. He cracks himself up again when he sees my face and reaction as it sinks in. My prized treasure was a broken Christmas light!

Oh well, if laughter is the best medicine, then Mr. Goldie is going to live a long time thanks to all the ‘medicine’ I provide for him!

I for one shall continue my blissful search for new birdies. Never mind the entertainment it provides him.