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Wednesday, October 8, 2014

The Feathered Invasion of Waterloo

Sunday, October 5th, found my family and I enjoying a peaceful afternoon singing for a group of cheery senior citizens at a lovely apartment complex in Cedar Falls, Iowa.  The afternoon turned to evening, and we bid farewell to our audience, driving into the twin city of Waterloo as the sun set and skies darkened.  
We soon discovered that a small area of Waterloo, across the street from Mernards, had been invaded.  The invaders, relying on air-borne missions, had taken over the radio tower and were swarming over important electric lines.

The birds (perhaps starlings), stop and rest here, but their invasion will be short-lived.  Tomorrow they may well be gone as they continue their journey southward.

Many things in life are just like the feathered invasion of Waterloo: here today, gone tomorrow.    Sometimes that's good: illness, sadness, and pain all pass.  What is excruciatingly painful today will only be a memory tomorrow.  Sometimes it's bad: the delicious chocolate cake I ate last month  is only a memory today.

But there are some things in life that stay with you all year round--just like the sparrow pictured below--and even all your life through.  These things are often ordinary, everyday, and unsophisticated.  Consider them carefully, appreciate and thank God for them, and find joy in them. 
We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have,
 but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.” --Frederick Keonig

Many thanks to all who have participated in my survey!  Snickers candy bars are currently in the lead; I'll wait for a few more votes and see if their narrow lead holds.  Results will be posted soon.

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesdays.

69 comments:

  1. Isn't great to see so many birds lining up to go elsewhere or even before they go to roost somewhere. No I did your survey but there as no nature or birds to tick because that is what I prefer. Have a great week.

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    1. Thanks for doing the survey! Good to hear your preference! :)

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  2. Bonjour Bethany,
    C'est joli de voir tout ces oiseaux en attentent de migrer vers le sud, nous c'est des outardes et des oies blanches qu'on aperçoit ici sur la rivière ♥

    Je t'embrasse

    Manon

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    1. We've seen some geese migrating too! It's a sure sign of autumn.

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  3. Oh Bethany, the birds are wonderful! I am amazed at how many are resting on the wires :) As always, your bog was a joy to visit. Enjoy your day! Hugs to you!

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    1. Thank you Stephanie! Have a great day, and God bless!

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  4. I am always fascinated (and overjoyed) when I see so many birds passing through. It is quite a sight. Simply amazing!

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    1. It is neat to watch! The only sad part for me is it means winter will be coming soon!

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  5. Reminds me of Alfred Hitchock. Great analogy about the birds and things in our lives. Only what we do for God will last forever. Thank you. Is it possible we could make chocolate cake last forever? Have a great day

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    1. I wish! A chocolate cake that would last forever without becoming stale (somehow grow a new piece every day?) would be very nice!

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  6. I said Snickers! :) Enjoyed reading your thoughts about life and relating that to the birds. Very well done!

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  7. My goodness!!! What an amazing sight!!!

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  8. That's a lot of birds! Made me think of Hitchcock's Birds. :-)

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    1. Ah! Glad I wasn't thinking of that at the time--would be scary!

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  9. Oh my stars I have never seen that many birds on wires before in my life. That's an amazing sight and I'm so glad you captured them. - I enjoyed your blog and just became a follower.

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  10. oh, this is such a perfect post. you make such great points. wow. all those beautiful birds!!! birds on a line are one of my favorite things... there's something so beautiful and full of freedom about it. not to mention that it looks totally awesome. awesome photos!
    -Abigail

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    1. Thanks Abigail! Birds do have a sense of freedom about them!

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  11. Bethany it is very interesting you have seen a lot of birds. In my place gatherings of birds it is a visible sign of fall. What about you place/

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    1. Yes, fall when the birds flock together before they migrate south.

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  12. Sweet post! Now, that is a huge flock of blackbirds.. Enjoy your evening.

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  13. Great pictures! I really enjoyed the message you shared too!

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  14. Olá querida, achei sensacional essas imagens...um espetáculo, a natureza é bela!
    Abraços, Marie.

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  15. What a sight! We surely do need to work harder at appreciating what we have. I try to teach that to my grandkids.

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    1. It's a good lesson to learn...that's what grandmothers are for ;)

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  16. Wow! I've never seen such a sight! Thanks for sharing these pics.

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    1. I've never seen sights like many you post either...good to see a glimpse of life around the world!

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  17. Wise words and lovely photos, as always! :) That is a lot of birds.

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  18. Bethany, I never ever saw in my life so many birds at the same time. I am thinking that in your part of the world everything is different.

    I loved your this post, inspired me as all others!!! xXx

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    1. The birds like to flock together in the fall before they migrate south. From what I've heard, there are plenty of differences between where we live, but I'm sure we'd find some surprising similarities as well.

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  19. So many birds in one place is a bit scary.....and can be messy! Your words ring true though. Janey

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  20. That really is a lot of birds! I hope your car was not parked underneath!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  21. How nice of you to entertain. I know our seniors in town always love when people come by to entertain and visit with them. Thank you.

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    1. We really enjoyed our time with the people! One lady I talked with after the concert had visited the Pacific NW (where I was born), Jamaica, and Uganda, and seen lions in the wild! I felt like telling her that *she* should be blogger too!

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  22. That's so wonderful that you and your family spent the afternoon singing for senior citizens. I love that. I enjoyed the pictures of the invasion of the birds, too. Birds fascinate me, especially when in flight... :)

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    1. We loved it too...great group of seniors with whom to spend the afternoon! Wouldn't it be nice if we could learn to fly like the birds?

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  23. What a sweet post!! How in the world do those birds line up so perfectly?!

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  24. Wow, that's a lot of birds on the wires!

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  25. Awesome reflection and I LOVE both the pics of all the birds on the wires (that's actually totally amazing) and your last close up (beautiful)! Thanks for sharing!
    Blessings, Aimee

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  26. Awesome and sweet to see all the birds! :)

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    1. Yes! We were pretty impressed--especially by the birds that perched on the diagonal wires!

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  27. Yay for Snickers! Starlings are noisy and poopy.. sometimes they take over our forest and the noise is amazing! I'm a singer too.. I start the National Anthem at all our DAR meetings. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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    1. That's awesome that you are a singer too! Wish I could hear you sometime!

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  28. Just amazing pictures!!!

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  29. What a fantastic sight to see so many birds lined up like that.

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  30. Okay, I went back and took your *fun* survey. I had missed that post somehow. Great quote by Keonig. It's so true. Thank you for sharing this!

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  31. Yeah,, what a fun sight! (unless you're thinking about the old Hitchcock movie, 'The Birds.' Then maybe not so much). ;-) Love the title of your blog.

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    1. I'm glad they were friendly (or at least not unfriendly) birds! Thanks!

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  32. I, too, have seen enormous numbers of birds (crows, pigeons, starlings) gathered on wires, but your photos are truly spectacular! Dropped by because I noticed we share the same family name. Lots of interest here so I'll be back :)

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    1. Always good to meet another Carson! Thanks for dropping by!

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  33. Wow! imagine the tension on the wires from all these birds resting on them! Just think of the sight when they all decide to fly away at once....amazing. Their chatter must be pretty loud as they get ready to leave, too.
    Great post! Good words to go with the images.
    Debbie
    xo

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    1. Those wires have to be strong. The birds left before we did to find a more comfortable spot for the night--unfortunately I didn't get to see them fly away; I'm sure it was quite the sight!

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  34. Oh my... hahaha! What a sight!:D
    That you for sharing the photos. :)
    June
    The Journeys of My Beating Heart

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  35. We were surprised to see so many! Thanks!

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  36. Holy cow!!!! That's quite the number of birds! Starlings or blackbirds......who knows! But wow!

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  37. I had no idea there were birds on the line until I looked closely--there were so many! What a fantastic sight.

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