Tender Tracks Thurs. Day 62

May 18, 2017
Small Waning Moon
Lake Lagunitas

I wish to begin with what was the most wonderful part of the day for me and I am sure thrilling for the children as well!
As soon as we got out of the bus Jake and I heard a Dark Eyed Junco alarming.
When a bird alarms, and for the Junco’s specifically, it is a little chip, chip, chip, chip sound.  They are warning others of danger. It is kind of like a phone call to everyone else letting them know to be on the look out.  It can be sent two miles down a trail, one bird to the next. This is a way with which we can know when a person, cat/large or small, or something, is coming our way.  It tells you to PAY ATTENTION!  This particular Junco was alarming far louder and longer then most do AND, it was very, very close to us.  At first I saw the Male and then the Female. They were hovering over us which is not a typical alarm style if say a cat is coming through the area.

Well, it is Spring, they were very close and, What happens in Spring?? NESTS and BABY birds. So, Jake and I got very, very quiet and looked below where they were alarming. What did we find???? YES!  a perfect and small nest with two  baby birds with wide mouths and one small egg!  We looked close yet made sure not to disturb it and then walked away to let the parents relax a bit.  And, they did.  Later when we came back there were now THREE babies. One hatched while we were playing and in circle!!!!!!

Many times throughout the day different groups of children checked out the birds and, everyone was good at being respectful of the family there.  We spent time noticing the alarm and then what happened when we would move away.

It was a thrill to follow the signs and sounds that the birds were giving and then find their nest and babies!!!

Another reason this was so exciting to me was because in my Monday meditations on the week ahead it came in strong to tell a story about the birds building nests, laying eggs and how their nests are like the nests that we use to start our fires with. FYI this is the time to put a lot of pieces together from things we have been doing all year long as well as be inclusive of what is currently happening in our natural world around us.
So, to have our story work right into what the natural world brought us was just THRILLING for me and, it always is when these “coincidences” happen. 🙂

We never left this place today.  Everyone just settled in, spread out and they now seem to get that adventures can be walking somewhere or taking place right where one is!
So much happens without even moving at all.

The day was filled with being down by the creek and cleaning soap root bulbs that the three year olds had gathered, testing skills with climbing over rocks and logs at the creek, making our own birds nests out of material that Jake and Archer had collected on Tuesday, checking on the baby birds, making soap in our bucket, being Woodpeckers in houses and making the houses, playing on our bouncy tree that is getting older and older, drawing in books and then drawing on carved sticks.

An easy, beautiful engaging day.

Please check out our FB page to see  photos of the day.