Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Cemetery Birding

Hi everyone, just a quick update.  I've been on the road these past several days which has made it difficult to be on blogger.  I'm hoping to get caught up today.  Life has gotten in the way for the moment but I'll be back reading this week again.  Now for today's feature.....
Did you know that if you look for birding hotspots, you'll find them at cemeteries?!!  In the spirit of Halloween, Day of the Dead and All Souls Day, I decided to head to one popular EBIRD cemetery hotspot.
Birders bird everywhere apparently.  I mean, it wasn't a bad experience but I got caught up in the headstones and watching the people around graves sitting on lawn chairs.  It was relaxing and wonderfully quiet.
And indeed full of birds as promised.  Right now the Privet trees are producing berries that hundreds of House Finches are enjoying around the grounds.  There was a Kestrel, an unknown hawk, MoDo's(Mourning Doves because they're sad), a Verdin, and several other birds that I couldn't make out.  In other words, the Usual Suspects(as the birder term goes) were all there.
And the sunlight was lovely.  Even better was that I was able to get out and do some birding before the sunset.
The problem though for me was concentrating because I was fascinated by the human need for statues, flowers, religious symbols, etc.  I don't believe in any of it(for me, it's all about the good kharma:) but I still find it interesting. The cemetery is a great place for reflection and it was very calming.
I went into deep thought mode.....like super deep thought mode when I began reading headstones.  The recent ones were full of flowers, candles, and decorations while the old old ones(from the 1800's) sat barren of anything.  Essentially forgotten.
But this headstone tugged at my heart strings.  Recently, someone's mother just passed away and I thought about how beautiful it was that they put all this effort into seasonal decor.  I think their Mother would be proud.
And then there was another that made me tear up.  A special needs child had just passed away and a wonderful, simple poem had been written to remember the positive spirit of this child. And I thought of my blogger/friends with Special Needs children and the emotion that goes into raising a child which comes with extreme ups and downs. I worked nearly 15 years with this group before I began blogging.  So as for birding at a cemetery......well, I don't think I could do it well with all the distractions of the spirit and living around me.  There's another challenge for me coming that deals with garbage dumps.  But I'll wait to do that until I can stomache the smell.  Maybe it would be better having a friend like Kathie along.  I'm sure that would be quite the post.  So for now, I leave you with this "shadow of the spirits" shot.


19 comments:

  1. Cmentarze u nas zupełnie inaczej wyglądają. U Was pięknie wyglądają bukiety kwiatów wychodzące jakby z ziemi. Dla nas cmentarz, to miejsce zadumy, a dla ptaków to kolejne miejsce, gdzie żyją. Pozdrawiam.
    Cemeteries with us completely different look. U you look beautiful bouquets of flowers as if coming out of the ground. For us, a cemetery, a place of reflection, and for the birds to another place where they live. Yours.

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  2. Hi Kreesh, my friend, this is very timely as people here are also preparing their tombs for the holiday visit. If that first photo is of a vulture, can he probably smell the rotting flesh? But he will be disappointed as he wont be able to get a bite of any body! Happy Holloween!

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  3. I've never tried birding in a cemetery before, but after your success I might just give it a go!!

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  4. An interesting post Chris. Cemeteries certainly can be good places for birds and other wildlife too. Our local one used to have a part which was purposely left to grow wild to attract butterflies etc. but sadly they seem to have discontinued the idea and there were no wild flowers or butterflies this year :-(

    I agree, it can be fascinating and often sad to read the inscriptions on the headstones and to wonder about the lives of those who have passed. It is also always a sharp reminder of how very transient life is.

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  5. I lovely place for you and the birds to enjoy a little peace and quite.. and all those beautiful flowers.
    Thanks for the tip, Chris.

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  6. Great photos Chris. I love walking in the cemetery behind my house.

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  7. i would absorb the sadness around me there.

    i do like the vulture 'totem-poling' though. :)

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  8. Hi Chris. This post certainly gave me a pause for thought! Cemeteries can be very good for birds on this side of the pond also, especially the old ones which tend to have old trees in them. They can be quite spooky at night if the owls start calling!

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  9. The birds (minus the vulture) bring their usual joy and happiness to this sombre place.

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  10. I would never have thought of this aspect of a cemetery, but it does make sense. I don't always get sad a cemeteries, but sometimes the children's graves are heart-breaking.

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  11. Cemeteries really do have a lot to offer to the living.

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  12. Hi Chris, I know you've been really busy but not too busy to be nominated for a Beautiful Blogger Award, because I just love your blog! To accept all you have to do is tell us 7 things about yourself and nominate 15 other bloggers. You can find the BBA thumbnail on my blog if you'd like to post it on yours and, you know, show it off :)

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  13. Belas fotografias...Espectacular....
    Cumprimentos

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  14. A really moving post Chris with some beautiful photos.

    Cemeteries and churchyards can be wonderful for wildlife especially if "wild" areas are left.

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  15. Paradojicamente los cementerios son lugares llenos de vida.. Un saludillo...

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  16. Your spot on Chris, cemeteries are peaceful and emotional all at the same time. Where you see the beautiful birds, we see the kangaroos, amazing hey!

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  17. I have to admit that I am not much into cemeteries. I guess that I'll be spending plenty of time there someday!

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  18. This is such a beautiful post. I loved how the headstones and the flowers and the people visiting there all spoke to you in a special way. And how you were so moved by the grave of the special needs child. I used to work with autistic children myself, so that is something we have in common. My nephew is autistic and that's how I became interested. It was a special time for me. Your photos of this beautiful place were lovely, especially the festive decorations for the mother who had recently passed, and those lovely pink flowers. Yes, I can imagine it would be a great place to bird, too. Thanks for your comments about my No Fear post also. I always enjoy reading your comments.

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Thanks for stopping by!