Screaming Scrub Jays!

[Lupa’s note: Sorry for the double post of this today; I had a brain hiccough and originally posted it under the Admin account instead of this one.]

I’ve been a bit burned out on artwork lately, so I decided to take the day for some writing. I’m currently working on the manuscript for my next book, New Paths to Plant and Fungus Totems (yes, it’s a sequel to my last book). I completed a chapter I’d been working on for a bit, and wanted a break, so I put on my shoes and headed out for a walk. It’a a cool spring day, upper 40s F, and sun peeking out through sporadic rain clouds, perfect for a leisurely walk around the neighborhood to look at blooming flowers and nesting birds.

I have a tendency to take an mp3 player with me when I’m walking in the city during the day. I grew up in a rural area, and even though I’ve been in cities for over a decade now, the noise still sometimes gets to me. The music of my choice is generally preferable to the sounds of traffic, leaf blowers, and construction. I thought for a moment about letting myself get the full experience of my neighborhood, but the sounds of pre-rush-hour traffic outside the apartment made me think twice. So I put in my earbuds and headed out the door.

About five minutes into my walk, I passed by a row of small trees planted in the strip of earth between the sidewalk and the street. I was admiring the leaf buds just beginning to go green, when suddenly I heard a loud screech not five feet away from my head! I about jumped out of my skin, as it was loud enough to be easily heard over the music I was listening to. I turned, and there in the tree at face level, scolding me, was an indignant scrub jay. It was, of course, giving an alarm cry since I’d gotten so close to it, though the bold little bird held its ground.

I laughed and took the earbuds out and put them away. Then I spent the rest of my walk practicing filtering out the urban noise (apart from that which I needed to pay attention to, like oncoming vehicles) and listening to the sounds of non-human critters going about their days. In addition to other scrub jays, I heard the chatter of crows. The wind breezed across my face, wooshing as it went, and mirroring my own breathing as I walked. It was quite lovely, all in all.

The first scrub jay only wanted to warn me away from its tree, but the totem Scrub Jay took the time to remind me to experience with all my senses. It can be very easy to fall into the trap of valuing wilderness over urban nature. But just as Scrub Jay first showed me years ago what a wonderful place the Portland urban area can be, so he has continued to remind me of those wonders, to include of the animals and plants that have adapted to all the human-borne changes. They’re still there, amid the houses and businesses and tangles of streets. And they deserve just as much regard.