A Summer Evening Birdwatch
Martha F. Jamail
It was a pleasant summer evening as my brother and I sat on the front porch swing listening to the sounds of nature around us. As dusk approached, the rise and fall of the crickets’ hum grew louder. It was a soothing sound, but we both knew that crickets heralded the end of summer, and the start of the school year. Neither of us was ready yet. Suddenly, we heard the unique call of the red-winged blackbird. I had never seen the bird, but my brother said he knew just where it might be. There was a marshy pond behind our neighbor’s house at the end of the block, and my brother jumped off the swing and yelled for me to follow him. He ran so fast I could hardly keep up with him.
When we reached the marsh, my brother shushed me, and we crept quietly to the tall
grasses. Lily pads floated languidly over the water, while the tall marsh grasses reflected
mirror-like in the pond. My brother tapped my shoulder and pointed to the female black-
bird perched on a folded stalk of grass. She was studiously looking up at something. We
looked in that direction, and that’s when we saw the blackbird with the beautiful red and
yellow badge on its wing. Soon it called again, a unique and beautiful sound, and the female bird flew off with the red-winged male following her. Soon it would be nesting season. My brother said we would come back again to look at their nest eggs. Their eggs, he said, were very colorful – much like decorated Easter eggs. I could hardly wait to see them and hear the beautiful bird call again. Summer is filled with so many special moments… especially when they begin from a comfortable porch swing.
