hummingcrow: one squall voice » birds

on watch

cherylcolan — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:10:05 +0000

I’m always one of the stragglers finishing geology lab. The reward is seeing the occasional burrowing owl outside the lab window, after the bustle of people have gone. No one keeps watch like an owl.

Night Birds

cherylcolan — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:22:01 +0000

Behind the Scottsdale Community College Performing Arts Center there are five or six towering mulberry trees, old ones. When I leave campus at dusk, there is an absolute riot of birds hanging out in all of these huge trees. Their chattering echoes back and forth between to brick buildings. It’s like the last great gossip session before bedtime. I can’t decide whether they remind me of a gang of “news channel” pundits run amok, or of the slumber parties attended by girls in their confusing and hyper-emotional teen years. Some days I think one way, some days another. And some days, my brain goes to “The Birds,” and I hurry to my car and drive quietly away before they notice me nearby.

Garden Report #3 – It’s Alive!

cherylcolan — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 20:54:07 +0000

Just a little tour showing progress so far. Nothing easier than rolling outside with my phone and shooting a little Qik video. I’ve got plants. Most of them I started from seed. Most of them grew. Hurray me! Soundtrack by local birds. Guest appearance by White Kitty.

Garden Report #2 Planting Day

cherylcolan — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 01:34:46 +0000

We turned on Qik on my iPhone for a little while today. The mockingbird steals the whole show.

What the Wind Blew

cherylcolan — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 16:03:04 +0000

I had a nice moment to myself before going into the classroom.

Bird Dreaming

cherylcolan — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 05:03:06 +0000

Here’s a little more of Australia in 2004. Something I tried to do every day. We’d be tired and cold, and just want one more hour to sleep, but the birds would start singing loudly just before dawn. Some of the people around me put their pillows over their heads and went back to sleep. I often wanted to do the same, but I forced myself to get up and listen. It was my way of honoring this land and getting to know it as a place in the short time we had together.

Today, I am so glad I made this recording of the birds singing. I still think the crows have an Aussie accent. I know there were magpies around, and a mated pair of beautiful green parrots of some sort. And there was a little bird that looked a lot like a quail, only with the wrong colors. I don’t know all the other voices, but hearing them is still a form of sustenance.

Robert Croma asked if there is more from Australia. I’m actively looking for a few videos I remember making. I’m not sure if they are on tape, or already waiting my attention on a hard drive here in my office. But the travelogue I wrote with my mom still exists: Dreaming Down Under. And so do two photo galleries, one from 2004 and one from 2005.

Montezuma Well

cherylcolan — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 06:34:54 +0000

Montezuma Well is a limestone sinkhole in central Arizona, but it’s much more than that. It’s a constant source of water in the desert, for one. The Yavapai people believe they emerged into this world from within the Well. It is their ancestor. It reveals some of the history of previous civilizations. It harbors a unique ecology and is a source of medicinal herbs. But mostly, it’s a place of such awe-inspiring beauty and energy that it forces you to listen.

Of course, my mom is also a source of awe-inspiring beauty and energy, and you’ll hear her voice along with the sounds of the Well.

If you ever come through Phoenix, I’d love to take you up here for a picnic.

Mohawk Mary

cherylcolan — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 03:31:50 +0000

I shot this video in June at my mom’s house in Clarkdale, Arizona. At the time, Mary had adopted this street as her home, and most residents happily welcomed her and fed her. Not too long ago, she disappeared. This area is full of predators who could have dragged her off and made a meal of her. There are foxes and coyotes who make regular appearances, but we know there are also mountain lions, hawks and eagles around. It was nice knowing Mary for a little while.

It’s probably not especially clear what’s going on in the video. My mom wants to attract Mary, but has no means to do so, so she goes next door and steals bird food from the neighbor’s porch. They come outside to see what’s going on and give Mary some bread so that she’ll come closer. You can hear some of the conversation. It’s just a little slice of small town life.

Blue Jay

cherylcolan — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 04:07:58 +0000

I’ve been working on a fun mashup for tomorrow, so today’s post is just sharing a moment out of my video archives – footage that never made it to a vlog post. It’s from hanging out with dear friends at beautiful Junipine – a nice place to stay in Sedona, AZ. You can hear Oak Creek rushing by below us. We were trying to make a blue jay explode by giving it unlimited almonds. It knew when to quit, though.

Hummingbirds

cherylcolan — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 10:49:21 +0000

This year, Spring was a difficult time for me, mostly because I was losing my cat (and longtime friend), Rosie.

But the world seems to be trying all the time to remind me that life is a circle.

During the same time Rosie was slowly leaving this world, these little hummingbirds were arriving. They have been a delight I am happy to share.

Right-click and download a 640×360 (AppleTV-sized) version of this video if you like.

Nurturance

cherylcolan — Wed, 16 May 2007 23:15:50 +0000

When I saw Ryanne’s promo, I knew I had just shot the perfect footage to make a follow-up Pixelodeon promo. And though it’s not as good as hers, I made my own music, too. I’m one of the Pixelodeon editors. I hope the other editors are having as much fun as me.

Twitter Vlog Weather Report

cherylcolan — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 19:14:17 +0000

On Saturday, April 28 there was a big dust storm in the Phoenix area. I heard about it first on Twitter when GrammarGirl reported it. When I asked where she was located, I realized the dust storm would be headed my way in short order. So I twittered a bunch of storm updates and got out my video camera. This is the result.

I copied my tweets into the video – unfortunately iMovie can’t make them bigger and therefore easier to read. Pause and read ‘em or just ignore ‘em.

Burrowing Owls

cherylcolan — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 03:54:25 +0000

I found myself in an unusual staring match today. These beautiful burrowing owls live at Scottsdale Community College in a parking lot behind the Performing Arts Center. They stay year-round in our mild climate, and use little drain holes to make their nests. Across the main road is an agricultural field where they can find plenty of bugs and mice. I worry about them because pesticides are used on the crops, but they seem to be managing. I just adore them. They’re a great topic for my sixth Videoblogging Week 2007 post.

I’m sorry about the shaky camera work, but it’s my little Xacti zoomed all the way in telephoto, because I didn’t want to frighten my friend. The video is too long, but it needs to be for you to have any inkling of what it was like today to sit with this little fellow for awhile. Enjoy the connection.