THE GARDEN’S WEB OF LIFE

I love sharing my garden with wildlife by creating habitats that help different species to thrive…of course my feathered friends are at the top of this list. Today my faith was restored in the act of love shown by a male hawk looking over his mate who had been stunned in my garden while snatching her prey. She miscalculated how much room she had while pouncing on a Junco in mid air and she hit her head.

I observed her from my bedroom window as I didn’t want to startle her any further and really hoped she would make a quick recovery. To my astonishment her mate flew down and began circling her and protecting her. He noticed me through the glass and went into full warrior stance. It was incredible to watch.

Love and death in the garden continues to be a masterpiece.

“I am the hawk and there’s blood in my feathers, but time is still turning they soon will be dry. And all those who see me and all who believe in me, share in the freedom I feel when I fly”..John Denver

THE EAGLE AND I

Landing on a crag

on a distant tree.

This serene and fair forest

calls me at the

break of day.

I look for him

at morning

before he passes

beyond the sun

and Heaven’s light.

Life so far doesn’t have any other name
but breath and light, wind and rain.

If there’s a temple, I haven’t found it yet.
I simply go on drifting, in the heaven of the grass and the weeds…Mary Oliver

I FOUND IT

I looked up and felt my lungs inflate with the wonder and salt air all around me. From a distance a swan seemed to glide out of the fog bank letting me know it’s arrival by a series of honks and a soft swoosh of wings.

The fragrance of the woods and moss covered branches wrapped me in their silence and beauty. I felt something that has been missing in me for a while now… peace and harmony finally whispered a soft hello.

“And I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles.”
― Anne Frank

CHASING RED TAILED HAWKS

With all the madness in the world right now a walk in nature keeps me grounded and feeling at peace. I have been chasing hawks all week… the lighting has been terrible, nature just has not cooperated with me but this morning she put all her magic out and I got the shot! Traipsing through wet brush and forest, crouched in a lagoon in the pouring rain and this beautiful bundle of feathers flew up and over me… What a thrill and what a gift!

In the forest

A beautiful landing

Wet and ruffled… just like me.

“Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet.” — Thich Nhat Hanh

ONCE UPON A TIME

…there was a lonely swan.

Every bird this morning filled me with a little light.

Cormorant is an ancient bird with a unique and quirky natural history and many secrets to tell.

  Birds will show you secrets from another world– fresh vision that, though it is avian, can accompany you home and alter your life.

“There are things you can’t reach. But
You can reach out to them, and all day long.

The wind, the bird flying away. The idea of god.

And it can keep you busy as anything else, and happier.

I look; morning to night I am never done with looking.

Looking I mean not just standing around, but standing around
As though with your arms open.”
― Mary Oliver

MY MORNING RAMBLE

I often think of Mary Oliver’s poems when I head to the woods. Her work is inspired by nature, rather than the human world, stemming from her lifelong passion for solitary walks in the wild.

My feathered friends early this morning

Perfect landings are the best

Chasing rainbows…

It’s all about the attitude

“Ordinarily, I go to the woods alone, with not a single
friend, for they are all smilers and talkers and therefore
unsuitable.

I don’t really want to be witnessed talking to the catbirds
or hugging the old black oak tree. I have my way of
praying, as you no doubt have yours.

Besides, when I am alone I can become invisible. I can sit
on the top of a dune as motionless as an uprise of weeds,
until the foxes run by unconcerned. I can hear the almost
unbearable sound of the roses singing.

If you have ever gone to the woods with me, I must love
you very much.”
― Mary Oliver,

WALKING WITH QUAIL

Just before sunset birds are settling down for the night doing their final grooming and parent birds are rushing to get their babies home. I spotted a lovely family of quail tonight doing just that..

Heading home…

Guarding the family…

Fuzzy baby quail..

copyright Estee Millar

“How strange that nature does not knock, and yet does not intrude!”.. Emily Dickinson

 

FLYING WITH HERONS

There’s hardly a day that goes by that I don’t have a significant encounter with a bird of some species. When nature and synchronicity come into play I always pay attention. Whether it means sketching, photographing or simply stopping and taking a deep breath to admire what I see I deeply value the experience.

A beautiful ballet by the sea tonight..

Perfect form!

Social distancing is down pat!

Beautiful landings.

copyright Estee Millar

“For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free”…Wendell Berry

 

A GLIMPSE OF HAPPINESS

The magic always begins slowly.. I stop and listen to the chorus of birds just before dusk, their last call to each other before the sun goes down. The perfume of wild mint and dill float in the air and it feels almost mystical. I walk here almost daily finding more than I came looking for, every time…

 

Sweet notes!

Sing it!

Loved his white tail! 

This cat was personable! I don’t think it was feral, he followed me around on the trail and it seemed like he wanted to come home with me. Purrrfect! 

copyright Estee Millar

“I caught a glimpse of happiness, and saw it was a bird on a branch, fixing to take wing”….Richard Peck

OSPREYS ARE UNIQUE RAPTORS

Taking a walk along the ocean this morning and it was thrilling to watch this Osprey diving for its breakfast. I am always amazed how powerful their dives are plunging themselves into the water and always coming up with a fish! I feel so free watching these magnificent birds…

I love Mary Oliver’s words and describes perfectly what I felt this morning while watching them… If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it…

copyright Estee Millar

“I want to think again of dangerous and noble things.
I want to be light and frolicsome.
I want to be improbable, beautiful and afraid of nothing,
as though I had wings.”..Mary Oliver