I squealed like a girl

I believe I have written about growing up in a bird-loving family before - at least I think I have.  Anyway, the Brachman family loved/loves birds.  Living here in the city we don't see a huge variety like we did when I was a kid living on the river but every now and then a hummer breezes through or I hear an oriole singing.  When those things happen I usually make ooooo-ing sounds.

Today I squealed like a girl when I saw this guy.

I have only ever seen a pileated woodpecker once and it was from a distance and very brief.  This morning on my Augie walk one flew onto the trunk of a tree down on Hubbard Street next to the courthouse.  

While he was still on the trunk we got pretty close and I know I must have been a sight - mouth agape, standing stock still with bugged out eyes.  I know - not a pretty sight.

He (maybe it was a girl, hard to tell) then moved up into the branches and took flight.  That was a sight to behold as well.  Those birds have quite a wing span.

We were all alone!  No one to shout our news to.  Augie was excited, too, that's why I said "our news."

That was until we walked on a bit further and bumped into a few Episcopalians.  The Wendts and Candy Gibson were very tolerant of my ranting, babbling and squealing.

Last year and this year again we were invited to the Wagner home to see the baby bald eagles through a telescope.  I was thrilled with those sightings and seeing "Woody" today was equally if not more thrilling because we were so close.

I have to go lie down now.