Looking for a Rufous

Birds of a Feather Flock Together!

Editorial note: Lest some of my blog readers who are writer-types and picky about editorial style rules, for the record, I’m using the contemporary English-style (or whatever it’s called) punctuation for quotation marks. That is, the marks are INSIDE the punctuation as shown in the next paragraph. For years as a writer, I followed the strict standards that dictated the marks go OUTSIDE the punctuation (with exceptions for some punctuation like question marks).

This next piece I wrote years ago on a lunch break. I was experimenting with a form of writing called “affinity circles”. Kind of interesting actually, sort of a stream of consciousness mode of writing where you put random thoughts down on paper in circles, in brief like “red-feathered”, “green feathered”, and “blue-feathered”. Then you connect all the circles together and try to write it out in regular paragraphs. Supposedly, this frees up your thought and is a more creative way to write. The following is an example of one that I did. Did I also mention that humor is important as we go through life? :}

“Birds of many hues and colors fly and flock together, swim together, participate in clubs, and preen feathers together. It is an amazing fact of nature that red, green, and blue (feathered) birds often go around in the same circles and straight lines.

I love birds and observe them – both in flocks and unflocked. And, yes, bird clubs have proliferated to the point where just about any type of organization, be it expensive, perhaps for peacocks, or small and exclusive clubs for tiny or rare birds, or maybe a club for eagles.

Some clubs of course are based on sporting activities, like swimming (duck races), baseball bird clubs, golf, and badminton bird clubs. And, of course, the beaks are many and varied and speak volumes upon volumes about large flocks of funny or sad or tiny or soda-starved or large-beaked birds drawn together by beak-type.”

Gold Finch in Front Yard

Flicker and Suet