It’s the first day of autumn. Birds are beginning their southward migration. Their passage usually goes unnoticed unless the birds in question are geese or ducks flying in classic v-formation, honking in camaraderie. Especially in a city, it’s rare to notice something smaller… unless it’s right in front of us.

Today, I found two orange-crowned warblers within a few blocks of each other. These songbirds typically breed in Canada and the northern United States and migrate to the South. Nebraska is just one stop along the way to winter.

I usually find these unfortunate migrants this time of year (see last year’s post), when they fly into windows, delicate and vulnerable. I quietly bury them under an inconspicuous hedge or bush. It’s my ritual, an act of reverence. I won’t toss something this beautiful in the garbage.

(Their feathers are so soft!)

🍁