April 4, 2014

Where the White Birds Gather

April 4, 2014

For the last few days I have been photographing the pink Roseate Spoonbills gathering on a small island out in the middle of one of our local resacas.  One day there were a couple of Great Egrets on that island with them.  There have been a few ducks around the edge of the little island in the water.  This afternoon as I drove past that little island, there was only one Roseate Spoonbill there in the tree, but on the next little island there were about a dozen of them.  Getting good photographs from the bank will be much harder with them staying on that island because of heavy growth along the bank in that area.  I drove on down the street a little and on the last little island in that area, I spotted over 20 assorted white birds.  There were at least two Great Egrets, one seeming to stand guard at the tip of the island. 

Scattered around the island were at least 18 Cattle Egrets and then a Snowy Egret flew in and joined them. 

I could hear the birds as they chattered away with one another.  I know that lots of people - maybe most people - "HEAR" the birds, and over the last few years I have heard slight sounds from the birds, particularly Red-winged Blackbirds and Grackles, but  to HEAR a chorus of birds is something I have not heard in a long time.

I guess I am really enjoying Spring migration more than I ever remember.  You will recall that my hearing had already been bad for over 20 years when I went deaf last year.  So, as I said, I could hear some bird sounds, but not the mixture of the many different songs being blended together.

There are many people who, during their lifetime, don't appreciate something until they lose it.  I am not sure if that is the case with me and my hearing, but I know I appreciate being able to hear things that I haven't heard for a while or maybe never even noticed. 

There continue to be many things I can't hear (soft, high pitched voices), or don't hear some things in the way I remember them (music).  I often have to ask people to repeat things.  I get frustrated when I just can't understand something that someone has said.  I get bothered by the "noise" in crowded places.  But I am so thankful for being able to get the Cochlear Implant and to not be sitting here tonight - totally DEAF and unable to hear.