Birds and Books
In my February 2025 blog, “Delights and Joys,” I wrote about my Daily Delights journal. The journal rests on my nightstand and every night I write in it one or a few things that delighted me that day. Many of my daily delights are creatures and most of those creatures are birds. This month three different birds captured my attention.
I first noticed the Pigeon Guillemots while boating in the San Juan Islands last summer. Their black bodies with a large white patch on each wing make them stand out. When they take flight, their red legs confirm their identity. This year my husband and I spent three nights in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. A Guillemot had staked out the territory near the entrance of the marina, of which we had a clear view. Most times I looked out, there the Guillemot floated. When a boat puttered in, the bird dove. Their wings are designed more for swimming than flying—Guillemots will dive thirty to ninety-five feet in search of food. Pigeon Guillemots, “Sea Pigeon” in Alaska, have gray-and-white winter plumage, which is similar to the Rock Pigeon. Guillemots remind me of pigeons not at all.
Purple Martins are large swallows, eight inches compared to other swallows’ five and a half inches. Purple Martins are uncommon in the PNW, and nest boxes help them compete against the introduced European Starling. A Purple Martin couple inhabited a small wood box on top of a piling near our berth in Friday Harbor. Their rich song, vibrant conversational buzzes and chirps, announced their presence to everyone on H dock. Unlike the similar looking Pigeon Guillemots, Purple Martin couples have different plumage: the male glossy purple-black, the female grayer with a white belly.
Back on the mainland, the Willow Goldfinch, the Pacific coast subspecies of the American Goldfinch and Washington’s state bird, claims my attention. I’ve often spotted this small bright yellow bird atop a towering cedar or hemlock, drawn by its twitters and trills. I hung a feeder with Nyjer seed, similar to the thistle and dandelion seeds Goldfinches prefer outside my living room window. A Goldfinch couple soon found it. They startle easily, so I haven’t been able to snap a decent photo. I’m hoping July or August will bring additional juvenile Goldfinches to the feeder.
What birds delight you? What are some other sources of daily delights for you? I’d love to hear about them in the comments.
Links to recordings of two uplifting and inspiring book launches:
The launch of Brenda Miller’s Love you, Bye and Rebecca McClanahan’s Light Falls on Everything can be watched here.
A writerly perspective of Miller’s book by Andrea Firth, an editor at Brevity Blog, in her Substack, Everything Essay can be read here.
A Barrelhouse review of McClanahan’s book by author Amy Wright can be read here.
One of the more joyful hours I’ve spent on Zoom—Translating and Publishing World Literature: with U.S. Poet Laureate Arthur Sze! And four other editors, including one of my writing mentors, Wendy Call. This event celebrated the launch of three books: Best Literary Translations, Transient Worlds, and A Compass on the Navigable Sea. You can watch the recording here.
Thank you for reading! Writing is a lonely endeavor and your presence here brightens my day!
It’s a Good Day . . . to take delight in birds and book launches!
Blue Herons are trying to tell me something this spring. I'm not sure what yet.
This is wonderful and no doubt birds are delightful! I am fortunate to live in Hawaii and my morning walk with my dog is always a delight . My dog delights me as well as others we pass on our walk . This morning a couple stopped to pet him and shared that they had just lost their dog Tizzer who looked like mine . But they had his 90 pound brother Temu who sounds really sweet . Then at the beach we saw a Hawaiian monk seal resting after her long voyage (from Alaska? ) . Haha this is so long . I’ll stop here