The sparrow convention...

I'm up early today (of course) and while taking the dogs outside to potty, I couldn't help but admire the sky at dawn. It is beautiful - soft shades of blue with faint swirls of pink, purple and cream. The waning moon was still high in the sky, shining brightly. If my camera could capture the subtlety of the colors, I would have taken a picture. But it can't and I won't disturb my enjoyment of it all by getting frustrated with technology at this time of day.

It wasn't long, however, until another fascinating sight captured my attention. Suddenly a cacophony of bird calls descended upon me and overhead hundreds of sparrows were flying southwest. I'm not exaggerating either....hundreds. It reminded me of the movie Pearl Harbor where citizens looked up to see hundreds of planes flying over their homes in attack formation. The sparrows weren't attacking, but they obviouly had some kind of organized travel destination. I've never seen so many at one time, all heading in the same direction! I smiled when I saw the younger, smaller sparrows struggling to keep up but already behind by a minute. In my morning half-sleep, I had to laugh at the imaginative thought that they might be attending a sparrow convention. What would their agenda be? I imagine that they would discuss the upcoming harvest and which fields look most promising to ripen first for food. Maybe they would give reports on the housing options for winter...which woody areas had been cut down, predatory rates, etc. They could report survey findings on birdhouses that are available in the area, which models are most comfortable, where to find birdfeeders and birdbaths in various neighborhoods. It's a funny thought.

And now it's time to go back to sleep. :)