Envying the Life of a Bird

Wouldn't you just love to live like this guy does?

 Most people get over wishing they were some other species but human by the age of ten or so.

Not me.

On a day like yesterday, when a half-dozen palm warbler put on a spring show for me, I thought it might be nice to be a bird for a day or two.

Usually when you see a small flock near the brush surrounding a lake, you think the birds are the usual suspects you see all year. Sparrows, titmice, chickadees -- those guys.

A flash of yellow made me think otherwise.

I had my Sony DSC HX400V bridge camera, which on certain settings allows me to photograph at up to 100x, so I didn't have to get too close and spook the birds.

What I saw with the first few photos made me wish to shed this human form.

A palm warbler surveys the feast before him.

I'm old, so I'm no where nearly as attractive as these warblers. I know it's impossible to shed this human form, but it's not impossible to enter a dreamlike state where I might. I saw the birds living a life that seemed simple and beautiful. The day was a gem, bright and warm and clear, the kind you slog through winter in anticipation of, and the palm warblers were taking full advantage of it. There was something good on the ground to feed on, seeds or insects or whatever. I've never deliberately eaten an insect, so I can't comment on how delicious they might have tasted, but the seeds must have been a special treat.

A palm warbler breakfasting in the grass.

What a life.

The ability to fly anywhere you need or wish to be is enough reason to seek out a better existence as a bird. Roosting in a tree or bush on a gorgeous day like this one adds to the allure, and then finding such delicacies for free at your feet seals the deal.

On a day like this, you want to be a palm warbler.

It certainly beats waking up in a stuffy apartment hacking your lungs out and getting into a rusting piece of junk and driving to the nearest convenience store for a bitter cup of coffee and a stale bagel.

No, I had to envy those palm warblers.

The next best thing was to enjoy the morning photographing them and indulge the dream of being them in the spring sunshine.

That wasn't half-bad.

Of course, it might be worthwhile to taste those insects, too.

The lovely habitat of the palm warblers.