Two and Twenty Blackbirds Framed by the Sky

"Last night I heard the wild goose cry, winging northward in the lonely sky..."

These days the birds are on the move. All manner of birds, and they are everywhere. These silhouettes raised quite a ruckus from their perch atop an old sweet gum just before sunset today. Common grackles and red winged blackbirds, judging by their cacophony of calls...

There are just three gnarly old sweet gums left, towering above the willows and cattails in a pool of stagnant water, surrounded on three sides by parking lots and an old field on the other.

Perfect place to pause for the night among kindred spirits; there's a bare branch just there with your name on it, brother.

Huddle close. We're in for a bit of weather by morning...