Story: A Feathery Expedition

“Mmmm-mmm!  The aroma of spring!”  Pip sniffs the air in delight.

Philadelphia Warbler

Pip is a brown, twinkly-eyed deer mouse who lives in the Watercolor Woods near her close friend and neighbor, Mia, the chatty and adventurous Blue Jay.

“Many of my feathered friends arrive with spring!” Mia hops and flaps her wings with glee.  “Let’s go bird watching!”

“Perfect.  We can go down to the creek with Oliver.  He loves bird watching.”  Pip replies.

Juniper, the chipmunk, wanders along the trail to Canvas Creek and spots her friends sharing laughter and lively chatter.  “Hello Pip.  Hello Mia,” she says approaching them.  “Are you on a new adventure?”

“Spring migration is beginning!” Pip points upwards to a V-shaped formation in the sky. “Look!  Geese flying overhead to their nesting grounds.”

“They are beautiful!” Juniper observes.  “May I join you?”

“The more the merrier,” Mia chirps.  “Off to the creek, we go.”

“Ahhhhh!  My friends, what brings you to my neck of the woods?” Oliver the bullfrog smiles, lounging on a mossy rock.

“We are on a birdwatching expedition!” Pip exclaims, her eyes sparkling as she gazes up at the treetops.

“You three are in for a treat!” Oliver smiles from ear to ear.  “Just this morning, I spotted a flock of cedar waxwings with a few robins making their way north.  And, yesterday a small pod of pelicans flapping about in the river.”

“Let’s get started!”  Pip and Mia chime in together.  “We don’t want to miss them.”

Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Scanning the treetops and branches, Mia lets out a squawk of excitement, “Look.  It’s a ruby-throated hummingbird flitting about the trumpet vine’s orange-scarlet flowers.

“How beautiful!”  Juniper whispers, captivated by the hummer’s graceful movements.

“And, the hummer flies away as quickly as it arrived,” Oliver observes.

Pip’s ears perk up, “What is that?”

They each begin scanning the woodland foliage to locate the song.  Oliver whispers, “Up there.”

Mia’s eyes widen, “Oh!  It’s a Nashville Warbler singing in the sycamore tree! Look at the subtle olive-green color.”

Pip gazes up at the warbler in wonder, “Such a rare sight.  Good find!”

“She’s gorgeous and sings beautifully,” Juniper notes.

Mia nods, “Look over the creek water. Barn swallows darting like arrows.”

Juniper chatters, filling her cheeks with seeds and nuts, “It warms my heart to see the Watercolor Woods come alive in spring.”

Pip, Mia, Juniper, and Oliver gather at the creek daily over the few weeks of spring migration, visiting with feathered friends traveling, and sharing their spring exhibition with other critters of the Watercolor Woods community.

Nashville Warbler