I believe it was yesterday that I heard the first birdcall
in my neighborhood in at least ten days.
It was my once and forever favorite call, if it is a call,
it was a Mockingbird.
I can remember to the month, year and place where I first heard it.
It was LaBelle, Florida. I and my family were heading East, up the
Caloosahatchee River on our way to the east coast of Florida.
While tied up at the town dock, actually it was a Mediterranean
mooring, I heard what I took for multiple birdcalls until I
realized they were emanating from one direction only.
I inquired of a local to discover it was Florida’s state bird,
the Mockingbird. As I considered my surroundings there and
then the thought came to mind, yes, South central Florida
on the Caloosahatchee River, no nicer place in the world
perhaps, to hear such a sweet sound.
Islander.