Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Winged Migration

I heard a lovely but unfamiliar bird song from the open back bedroom window this morning; when I peeked out I saw this beautiful bird flitting amidst the grape leaves. Ran to my bedroom. Grabbed the camera. Ran softly through the house and into the backyard. One of the many stray cats which roam our yard had already arrived on the scene--and I don't think he came to admire the beauty of this aviary specimen! Now, here is where my inexpensive telephoto lens comes in handy. The bird stayed around for another 10 seconds or so and was gone. Later in the day, Younger son reported sighting a very small bright yellow bird but unfortunately by the time he got outside with the camera, it was gone.

I'm sorely lacking in my bird identification skills (I really just need to buy the $30 field guide) but Dear Husband says that based on its beak it may be a bee-eater. That makes sense, especially since the bird was flitting amidst the grape vines and the few over-ripe grapes that are left hanging have been attracting bees.

Winter is coming (though you'd never guess it by the still-hot temperatures), which means millions of birds are migrating from Europe to Africa; approximately five million migratory birds fly over Jordan, Israel, and Palestine annually. Though most do not make their path over Amman, we are sometimes fortunate to observe a few of these migrating wonders. Once, while waiting in traffic I saw a flock of pelicans fly overhead!

Meanwhile, inside the house, we are enjoying the wonders of David Attenborough's nature dvds. Fascinating! All of his series are brilliant and not to be missed. Really.



The Life of Birds David Attenborough

9 comments:

Sara at Come Away With Me said...

He is indeed a beautiful bird with those iridescent blue feathers! I don't know birds either, so can't help with the ID. Don't you just love digital cameras and telephoto lenses . . .

I was in Amman once, in 1995, on a tour of Israel, but we stayed overnight there after seeing Petra. I love that part of the world, and so enjoy checking your blog now and then to see what you've posted.

kinzi said...

Hi DM!! THIS is too funny, we have several of these around out old grapes and I keep thinking I should call and ask you about them. Thank you for the treat.

Kathy said...

How interesting! I love that beak, and the colors are gorgeous.

Anonymous said...

It is beautiful bird and good photography as well. We've been enjoying Attenborough's The Secret Life of Plants series.

Jenny in MO

Quotidian Life said...

Jenny,

I love the Private Life of Plants! Isn't it fascinating? My kids like to make fun of me because it is one of my favorite dvds.

Quotidian Life said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jenny said...

There must be something with kids and making fun of mothers who love these videos. For my part, it's probably the slack-jawed and awed look I have plastered on my face! We are watching the *Plants* on VHS, because we can't get the DVD's here in the states. Are you able to get the DVD's

Jenny in MO

Quotidian Life said...

Jenny,

I sometimes find BBC productions at Amazon UK for a better price than at Amazon US. Here is a link to The Private Life of Plants:

http://tinyurl.com/23hjz6

Very good price, even considering the exchange rate of 2:1. The shipping might be a little bit more, but I've noticed there are plenty of Amazon marketplace merchants selling through Amazon UK who ship from the US as well. We bought a Sony, standard DVD player and we are able to play DVDs from the States and the UK.

Jenny said...

Ohhh, thanks for the information I'll check into it.