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Friday, March 24, 2017

"... the dressiest of winter birds" (AND) "...beautifully turned-out little character(s)"


The image atop this entry is of a dark-eyed junco in my rooftop garden where he/she is alighting upon some of my kiwi vines' branches.

This picture was taken a few years ago and is included in the digital (iBook and ePub)



versions of the book Words In Our Beak Volume One.

The photograph is also included in the soft-cover version of the book...


... which became available on MagCloud two weeks ago today. Words In Our Beak Volume One, is told from Cam's (a female cardinal who is the cover girl on the book) perspective.

Words In Our Beak’s goal is to open readers to a simple understanding of the winged world and their environment. The story is set in a rooftop urban garden in New York City, and is directed to children and adults who are curious about birds, and want to learn about them from a unique perspective. The book includes hundreds of images of flora and fauna, links to movies, as well as to informative narratives that have been created by the author.

The aforementioned bird-type known as a dark-eyed junco is introduced in volume one. However, specific details re that bird type will be discussed in sequels to the book.

Dark-eyed Juncoes are in my heart and on my mind today, because I've been re-reading E.B. White's mini essay, WINTER BACK YARD, which was inspired by this bird type.

The essay was written sixty-six years ago today, and it can be referenced directly below.


I have felt very honored to have juncoes visit me, and I'm in full agreement with White's assessment that they are "the dressiest of winter birds." I also concur with him that a junco is "a beautifully turned-out little character."

And I suspect, dear reader, that you will feel the same way towards this creature upon seeing my photo-ops of him/her spending time in my garden. The following ones feature this bird type taking in the beauty of my kiwi vines.






These vines are featured in my first garden-themed movie that is titled The Kiwi Speaks! Fifteen minutes of Fame...almost. It can be viewed within my Vimeo Library

In any event, the juncoes often use the home of my kiwi vines as a place to perch, which is evident in the next set of pictures.







Dark-eyed juncoes are so precious to me that I'm a bit saddened when mid March-April come around as this bird type is only in town for the period of time from early November-mid April. In bygone years they have left town on April 15th, a date which coincides with the deadline to file income tax.

Be that as it may, this time of year is a melancholy one for me, for while I will welcome the sunshine and blooms that come with the spring season, I will truly miss these "... the dressiest of winter birds" (AND) "...beautifully turned-out little character(s)."

FALL 2018 ADDENDUM: 

I no longer actively produce event program covers, invitations and the types of greeting cards described here or on my website but arrangements might be able to be made under certain circumstances. My focus is on the Words In Our Beak book series, pictured below...

WORDS IN OUR BEAK BOOK SERIES

...whose stories are told from the point of view of Cam, a female cardinal, whose photo is on the cover of each book. Words In Our Beak’s goal is to open readers to a simple understanding of the winged world and their environment. Set in my rooftop urban garden in New York City. Words In Our Beak is directed to children and adults who are curious about birds, and want to learn about them from a unique perspective. The books include hundreds of images of flora and fauna, links to movies, as well as to informative narratives that have been created by the author.

Please click here to go to my blog post that provides details as to where you can get these books.

Additionally, I have rendered some images from these books into other formats and they are available via Fine Art America (FAA). Some of my other photographs (Black & White Collection, Kaleidoscopic Images and the famous Mandarin duck who visited NYC) can also be found on my FAA pages.

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