Music to My Ears
Walking back to our hotel room in Staunton, Va., last week, I heard a familiar sound: a manic chattering. I looked up to see hundreds of swifts circling above us. We followed them to the First Presbyterian Church on New Street, and for a half hour stood in an alley watching as they dropped into the chimney of the church. Once you've seen their nightly flight you want to see it again to make sure it wasn't an aberration.
Four years ago, before I started volunteering at the rehab center, I might not have noticed the sound. Or if I did, I probably would have been annoyed by it, rather than recognizing it for the wonderous spectacle it is.
The sight in Staunton was even more welcome because I wasn't expecting it.
Once you start noticing wildlife, you find it everywhere, as witnessed by this series in The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/19/nyregion/19lens.html?ex=1157515200&en=220a12e094814b41&ei=5070