The little Mimi's chain coffee shop restaurant in our little tract home suburb features a well-appointed little garden area. This time of year, the resident (and abundant) grackles share space with the migrant (and abundant) starlings, to create an epiphany of blackbirds. A flock or group of starlings is known as a "murmuration", which provides just the right soundimage. I believe that a group of grackles should be known as a grasp, but I have found no indication that reality matches my beliefs in this (as in many) matters.
Tonight amid these charming birds I noticed a different blackbird. It was an aquatic bird, somehow landed inland. The small fellow walked by himself, near a holly bush. I believe he was an American coot. A group of coots is called a cover of coots, but this fellow was outside the cover(s). We watched him walk and wished him sell and wondered where his travels took him.
I listened to Sparks' cover of "I Want to Hold Your Hand", my three year old niece's favorite Beatles song, just after I watched the chess episode of "The Prisoner".
