We're birds of a feather

Free as a bird
When I was about 7 years old, there was a dog in the neighborhood who had me on edge. I'm fairly sure it was the beginning of my flying dreams. When I fly, I just lift up and go. No wings, no flapping of my arms. All I need to do is think about flying, lean forward, and I'm off. Incredible.

Something to crow about
To wrap-up the birds and birding theme for May, I’ve pulled bird-related movies, books, and random bits I thought you'd enjoy.

These are things I’ve read, seen, made, or had experience with. If you’ve got others, comment and let us know about them.

Bird Collage #1

The early bird gets the worm
The Big Year is a movie starring Jack Black, Owen Wilson, and Steve Martin. If you’ve ever wondered (or have no idea) what birders refer to as a Big Year, this is a light-hearted introduction.

Birds of a feather flock together
Chicken People is a documentary about show chickens. This one I found by chance and learned a lot. For starters, I didn’t know show chickens were even a thing. It's also supporting evidence that if there’s something you like, there’s probably a hobby group, club, or someone else who likes it, too.

An albatross around the neck
One of my favorite books about writing is Ann Lamont’s Bird by Bird. It’s not a book about birds. It’s a book for writers, but it’s more than that. It’s stories. Great stories, including the title story ... one we could all learn from.

Happy as a lark
Go along for the ride with Birding by Bus in their vintage VW bus, Valentina. Beautiful birds, a lovely couple, and a fabulous journey.

Like a duck to water
The collages in this post are some of my earliest. A lot of you may not like to chop up the envelopes you get in the mail, but if you don't mind, it's an easy way to get a collection of cancelled stamps going. Cut the stamp from the envelope and place it in a bowl of water. After 10 minutes or so, you can peel the stamp away from the envelope paper and use it in collage work and journals.

When I finished this one, it was suppose to be a house, but then I wondered, is it a house or an envelope? What do you think?

A feather in your cap
Do you like to color or doodle? It can be wonderfully distracting. Soothing, even. If you haven't tried it, go ahead, download and print these three birds and get to it. You don't have to have colored pencils or markers, you can use a pen or pencil to add texture and patterns.

A rare bird
A poetry experiment in upper and lower case letters. It could be titled, "Things I notice on my morning walk."

Bird Bath
STanding in the puDDle
the bird Dipped ...
HEAd First
WiGGLEed and SHuTTered,
FLAPPed and FLUTTered

AGain . . . and AGAIN

BIRD wriggles, Water RIPPLes ...
RinSE and REPEAT

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Silly as a goose
When I considered the bird idioms, I wasn't sure how to add them to the post. I was going to list them, until I realized they'd make great headers for the paragraph breaks. Are you the rare bird that noticed?

Feather your nest
Thanks for coming along. I hope you enjoyed this birding expedition. For more on what I found on birds and birding this month, start here.

Whether its birds or something else, our hobbies, passions, and pastimes bring us together ... and set us apart. They make us (and life) more interesting.

When you're bored, frustrated, restless, or tired, find something that interests you and follow it for a while. The distraction can settle an anxious mind and the discovery can help you breathe.

If you have ideas you want to share, make a comment or send me an email. I'd love to hear from you.

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And before you go ... have you heard the woodpeckers? Click on the image to hear them ... and read about the woodpeckers here.