Eastern bluebirds: & words of wisdom from Thoreau

                 "A man's interest in a single bluebird is worth more than a complete but dry list of
 the flora and fauna of a town" Henry David Thoreau
 all photos by Jonathan Schechter, March 2nd, 2013

If I had the honor to walk in woods with only one person that wrote of nature and wildness 
back in the 1800's without doubt Thoreau would get my nod.  His words are timeless and it 
was Thoreau's through writing that introduced me to the art of seeing more deeply
 into the world of nature back when I was a nature-hungry hippie in the woods and 
meadows of Plainfield, Vermont. 
I remain hungry.

Today on the second day of March his words spring back to life for me for eastern bluebirds, 
a much loved subject of Thoreau have appeared again in my meadows and trees and
 have discovered my freshly stocked suet feeder. Many eastern bluebirds overwinter in 
Michigan but now with longer daylight their activity is increasing and we see them more. 
The diverse habitat that surrounds my house if perfect for them and reminds me
 that the waning days of winter are here; something Thoreau wrote of 154 years ago today.

 On March 2, 1859, Henry David Thoreau wrote: "His soft warble melts in the ear, as the snow 
is melting in the valleys around. The bluebird comes and with his warble drills the ice and sets 
free the rivers and ponds and frozen ground ... the leading edge of spring."

 "The bluebird carries the sky on his back" Thoreau