This year we have several Yellow-Crowned Night Herons nesting back there. They’re beautiful birds about 3 feet long. Every evening about the same time, they fly out of their nests to hunt. About ten of them circle the backyard, where the kids and I are usually killing time playing on the swing set, disrupting fire ant mounds, and sitting in time-outs (usually the kids, sometimes me) until M. gets home.
But when the birds circle above, all fatigue and frustration from the day is forgotten. We ooh and ahh and gather and point at the huge birds leaving their home of our backyard. At least Catie and I do. I’m pretty sure the twins have yet to see exactly why these birds are different than the crows or starlings throughout our backyard.
But, I think, the twins are just amazed to see my reaction, and especially Catie’s to the birds. Simultaneously, we both drop what we’re doing to stare into the sky and turn into complete bird nerds.