Many, many birds

While I was in New Jersey this week, I kept spotting several different flocks of hundreds of birds each, either all flying together, or all sitting in a field together.  I love seeing large flocks of birds!  (I have never seen the classic movie that apparently freaks out a lot of people so they don't like large flocks of birds.)  I think it's thrilling to watch them all soaring or swooping or standing watch together. 

So when I kept seeing thousands of birds in NJ, I commented on it to Keiko and John, while I was riding in their car.  I told them how excited I had been in the past when a huge group of birds had landed in our backyard.  (Strider says I tell that story too often.) 

Well, on Thursday, the very next day after I came home from this trip, the kids and I were sitting reading together on the couch, and I found myself reading louder and louder because a background sound was getting louder and louder.  Eventually I realized it wasn't actually any of the kids making that noise -- it was coming from the backyard!  And...  I'm sure you can guess the punchline here... it turned out to be a huge flock of birds!   Once again they had chosen our yard as a stopover on a big flight, I guess, and I was so happy to host them.

I scrounged around for the video camera, finally found it, and went out to get some footage.... but it really doesn't do the scene justice. There were probably thousands and thousands of birds in all the trees of our yard, and they stayed for a long time. Such a racket they made! Here's a small clip as a little portion of them flew from one spot to another:

Perhaps these were some of the very same birds I saw in New Jersey the day before, making a southbound journey, I don't know.  But I think I will always remember Grandpa, and the trip to NJ for his memorial service, when I see big flocks of birds now!