Canaries And Finches

Act 21:

“It’s never too late… To Listen To The Birds

They link us with nature. Take the time to observe them. They manage to survive in our world. And they do it joyfully. They provide a gentle soundtrack for our lives. Listen to their songs.” – Patrick Lindsay

Quote in book: “The song was wordless; The singing will never be done” ~ Siegfried Sassoon

Anything that has to do w/ birds makes me think of my dad.

I grew up w/ birds in the house, so I’ve listened to a few birds in my life! My dad used to breed canaries (Yellow and white) and Finches. I remember Rainbow Finches, which were my favorite. I took a snapshot of one of my videos when I was little. I know it's a little blurry, but if you look closely in the background you can see birds in the cages. This is early early 80s.

I wish I had more pics from back then to show y’all (and I know we have some), but they're all at my mom’s house and I have none on my computer. I distinctly remember seeing one where I’m like 5 or 6 and holding a bird in my hands.

I remember all the nesting cages in the laundry room and all the bird supplies. I remember helping check the nests for eggs and switching them out w/ fake ones until the time was right. I remember feeding the little baby chicks once they hatched. I remember helping tag the birds w/ a little leg bands. In our home in Stockton, my parents even built an aviary, with a side room where my dad would breed the birds. Ahh the memories.

My dad also collected bird stuff, in particular bird stamps. He also loved ducks. It must've rubbed off on me cause, I actually remember rescuing a duckling, who we named "Pakita". In Tagalog it means "to show" (I think). He and mom also collect Owl figurines. There must be at least 1000 in the house (ok.. maybe only 500). Everywhere I go, if I see an owl, I get it. This last trip to Vegas, I actually bought one for my mom.

However, the best thing about my dad, with respect to birds, was that he loved to bird watch and he knew his SHIT! He could see a bird fly by and tell you which kinda of bird it was. Oh Look! That’s a Wood Thrush or a Red-Breasted Flycatcher or a Blue-footed booby. He knew them all! He loved them all. I know that he belonged to this bird watching website where he made his house a watch sight and whenever he saw a bird, he’d post to the site to help w/ migration patterns.

I love the sound of birds chirping, even if it wakes me up. Birds chirping is such a happy and soothing sound to me. This morning I actually woke up at 5:30, because I couldn’t sleep. I went back to sleep and was awaken by birds chirping at 7:14. I thought it was very appropriate considering that was today’s act. How amazing is that?