Freelance contributor

As I gathered up the garden hose last spring, I realized there were birds around lots of birds. I listened to a conversation in the treetops just west of the yard. Blackbirds may be a songbird but what I was hearing sounded more like a meeting, and they were taking turns verbalizing. The birds flew to the end of my driveway and stood and discussed the matter from that lower level. I had never seen 100 or so blackbirds grouped there before. Soon they were up in the spruce trees close to where I was working, then off to the large oak trees growing

PHOTO : MARILYN

north of the machine shed, conversing all the while. After discussing the topic from all angles, away they went, into the bush in the pasture and beyond.

Hmmm, they ll be back in the fall bringing their young with them, I said to myself.

Sure enough, they returned and how they ve multiplied! Blackbirds have congregated in the vicinity perching on Hydro lines or gathering and hiding in the neighbour s cornfields for some time now.

No cows in this corn!

Marilyn Goertzen writes from Grunthal Manitoba

GOERTZEN