A Feathered Wake-up Call

  Mexican Jay When Denis and I used to spend the first part of June in a cottage up in the Mule Mountains outside Bisbee, Arizona, I got used to a very raucous wake-up call. In summer, daylight is early in the Sonoran Desert. By 4:30 AM, the sun is up, and-- depending upon where you are-- it's pleasantly cool. A lovely time of day for those who love to get up early. I've often said that I love watching the sun come up-- and I do-- but I'm a night owl, so I prefer to watch the sunrise before going to bed. But my normal sleeping habits went out the window when we were down in Bisbee, thanks to a large family group of Mexican Jays that would fly into the scrub oaks surrounding the cottage. Their blaringly loud conversations and disagreements woke me up every morning, and that's all I needed to rise and shine.  Denis has hearing loss, so the noise wouldn't wake him up. He'd snooze away, and I would tiptoe around, fixing myself a simple breakfast and taking it and my book and camera outside to relax and watch the world wake up. It was the best time to critter watch, and I never tired of it.  You'd think that those Mexican Jays would make a confirmed night owl growl with all their noise so early in the morning, but they didn't. I always woke up with a smile. © Cathy G. Cole of Kittling: Books All rights reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Kittling: Books or Cathy's feed , be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.