Diary of a Bird's Travels

As the crisp chill of autumn kisses my delicate feathers, I know it is time to leave. I take flight, soaring high above the evergreens. I travel on my long journey south and I begin to notice a flame-colored forest of timbers and shrubs. The fir trees are slowly fading. The vivid oranges and bright reds stir my imagination. The hues remind me of the warm comfort of my nest, despite the cold I feel in the now darkening sky.  

            I stop and construct a temporary home for the

night.  Tomorrow will be another lengthy and strenuous trip.  An owl

hoots as I am just about to nod off to sleep.  I realize I have forgotten

to eat supper, but I am too tired to search for it now.  I will eat in the

morning.  

            Awakened yet again; this time by footsteps and

rustling leaves on the ground.  What can it be now?  Probably deer, I

say to myself.  The noise intensifies.  The sound of this beast’s

steps seems a lot heavier than a deer.  My tree is shaking.  

            A moose!  I am wide awake now.  Leaving

the short-lived house I had just made, I fly into the night sky starting my

course much earlier than I had planned.  Wearily, I move through the dark,

pacing myself as I go.  I still have not gotten to eat yet.  

            Silence.  Everything is still.  There is

quite some time until dawn.  The air is frigid.  It’s lonely up

here.  Should I try again to get some rest?  I think I shall. 

Time to take root in another part of the vast wooded area and land once again

on a different branch.  

            This tree is dead and is covered in

termites.  Food!  I chow down to one of the best buffets I have had

in years.  Now, with a full tummy, I relax and take a nap.

“Chirp...chirp.”  

Are those

my friends calling me?  Oh no! I have slept in, but now I have company for

the rest of my adventure.  It should seem to go by swiftly now.  The

sun is almost fully up.  We had better get going! 

It is a

warm day today.  As the sun rises higher in the sky, I can almost feel its

rays touching me.  My fellow avems and I catch sight of a beautiful,

sparkling body of water.  Two small figures stick out like a sore

thumb.  They are moving and don’t seem to belong there, but we don’t

mind.  Our team cascades in a wondrous synchronized pattern arriving at

the crystal-clear lake made up of quenching fresh water.  What was once

such a hurried trek has now become a leisurely one.  I drink to my heart’s

content.  

I hear a

shout and look over to the figures in the water.  They are human and

sitting in a boat with fishing poles.  I watch them carefully for a

while.  One of them pulls out a large fish.  Instinctively, I search

for worms near the lake.  I eat just two.  That should hold me over

until dinner.  It’s time to go.

We traveled

until dusk and this time I have my flock to protect me.  We work together

to build nests, then peck at the ground in search of more worms and

grubs.  As I settle in for the night, I gaze at the stars above knowing

that when morning comes, I will be up there where they are.  The night is

cool, unlike the day, however, it is not too chilly to be uncomfortable.

Morning

soon comes, and the new day is even warmer than the last.  The further we

fly, I see the trees becoming greener again.  Not as many have the fiery

colors, but it reminds me of springtime.  There is a park with children on

swings and a dog playing fetch.  The humans are not wearing jackets like

the ones in the boat were.  I fly a bit more and see a winding snakelike

trail in the woods where people are running and riding their bicycles. 

What a nice day it is!  For a moment, I wish I could be human and frolic

about the way they do, but I change my mind quickly.  We birds have wings

and can travel great distances and go wherever we please.  We are

free.  I am free.  Freedom is the greatest gift one can have.  

As the sun

begins to set, my flock and I come upon a small pond on a farm.  It is not

as pleasing to the eye as the majestic lake was and the water does not taste as

good.  However, it is refreshing to get a drink and to have a much-needed

bath.  My friends and I build nests in the peach trees on the

farmland.  There are plentiful insects about and the air is swampy. 

An attractive male cozies up next to me in my nest.  He sings a sweet song

to me as I doze off.  Tomorrow will be the last day of our great

quest.  We should be reaching our destination by evening.  

A rooster

crows and I wake up before the sun with my companion.  We feed upon the

sweet, ripe fruits dangling from the branches then fly toward the glowing

sunlight.  We do not stop today.  It’s full speed ahead.  Onward

I soar with the wind, carrying me to a land of palm trees with a salty ocean

breeze.  It feels like I can see the entire world from here.  Just a

couple miles from the coast are several Gumbo Limbo.  Our group swoops

down and we fashion what will be our permanent homes for the coming winter

which will be a mild one in this tropical climate. 

 Days

later, as we are now accustomed to our new habitat, everyone is happy -

flitting and fluttering about.  We are in paradise.  I hear new

beginnings and new chirps and cheeps from other nests as I sit on my own eggs

waiting for them to hatch.