For the birds à Canoë

Canoe Island is for the birds this April. Looking for a ray of sunshine early one morning to warm me out of my torpor, I marched from the shady porch of Malmaison along le chemin de la plage to the sun-kissed grass slopes along the north east side of the island. The forest was humming with morning songbirds. See me pretty pretty me! See me pretty pretty me! White-crowned sparrows have warmed up enough to declare their beauty to all. Chickadee dee dee dee chest-nut backed chickadees announce their presence by singing their name. cheee cheee cheee Kingfishers zip along the rocky shore hunting for their breakfast. Knock Knock Knock A majestic raven welcomes the bevy of returning birds from their long migrations. zeeee zeeeee chupitty chip chip!  A Rufus hummingbird warns me not to venture too close to its claimed territory. Soon Mr. hummingbird will have to become accustomed to people on island. Our programming starts this weekend with the annual on island board retreat!

To celebrate this spring air and the birds that fill it with sweet songs, here are the last few stanzas of a poem by Victor Hugo entitled, Après l’hiver, 26 juin 1878

"Ô printemps! bois sacrés! ciel profondément bleu!
On sent un souffle d'air vivant qui vous pénètre,
Et l'ouverture au loin d'une blanche fenêtre;
On mêle sa pensée au clair-obscur des eaux;
Ob a le doux bonheur d'être avec les oiseaux
Et de voir, sous l'abri des branches printanières,
Ces messieurs faire avec ces dames des manières."