I love birds...
Over the years I have written at least a handful of journal entries about my interactions with them. When I was at my previous facility, a flock of sparrows made their nest directly above my window. They’d gather every morning, and at other times during the day, to sing and socialize. This lasted until a construction crew was hired to install a new concrete outer wall around the building, thus demolishing the old wall, and with it, the nest.
Here at Shawangunk I still see birds, but not as many. We have sparrows, blackbirds, and an occasional pigeon. Sometimes the birds will visit our small courtyard in search of food, and when I can, I will leave a few pieces of bread for them to find.
While prison rules prohibit feeding the birds and leaving food in the yard, how could a bird lover like me resist? I take my chances.
And when a friend from New Jersey mentioned seeing a lot of seagulls in his backyard, memories flashed in my mind of the days when I lived in New York City. I grew up in the Soundview section of the Bronx, and not far from several bodies of water. On weekends, I would oftentimes pedal my 3-speed bicycle to the furthest part of Soundview Avenue where it ended at the foot of the Long Island Sound.
The Sound is a large body of water that separates the boroughs of the Bronx and Queens in New York City. I liked watching the locals as they fished for eels. I also loved watching the boats that went by. There were tugboats pulling barges, and an occasional freighter, too. It was a peaceful place to be.
But the seagulls? They were everywhere. I think they should be declared as the official bird of New York State. Only kidding!
It was my pleasure to toss morsels of my lunch to them. They’d gobble it up within seconds. Most likely, the gulls ate more food on any given day than I did. And whenever I would ride my bike to City Island instead of going to the end of Soundview Avenue, those lucky birds got treated to pieces of fried fish from a nearby snack bar.
It was fun to feed them. Of course, I miss being able to do things like this. I also wonder what those seagulls thought of me? Like, “Why is this person giving us some of his food?” I don’t believe seagulls are as generous with one another as people are to them.
They probably thought my actions were strange. But they never refused a free handout.
D.B.
Here at Shawangunk I still see birds, but not as many. We have sparrows, blackbirds, and an occasional pigeon. Sometimes the birds will visit our small courtyard in search of food, and when I can, I will leave a few pieces of bread for them to find.
While prison rules prohibit feeding the birds and leaving food in the yard, how could a bird lover like me resist? I take my chances.
And when a friend from New Jersey mentioned seeing a lot of seagulls in his backyard, memories flashed in my mind of the days when I lived in New York City. I grew up in the Soundview section of the Bronx, and not far from several bodies of water. On weekends, I would oftentimes pedal my 3-speed bicycle to the furthest part of Soundview Avenue where it ended at the foot of the Long Island Sound.
The Sound is a large body of water that separates the boroughs of the Bronx and Queens in New York City. I liked watching the locals as they fished for eels. I also loved watching the boats that went by. There were tugboats pulling barges, and an occasional freighter, too. It was a peaceful place to be.
But the seagulls? They were everywhere. I think they should be declared as the official bird of New York State. Only kidding!
It was my pleasure to toss morsels of my lunch to them. They’d gobble it up within seconds. Most likely, the gulls ate more food on any given day than I did. And whenever I would ride my bike to City Island instead of going to the end of Soundview Avenue, those lucky birds got treated to pieces of fried fish from a nearby snack bar.
It was fun to feed them. Of course, I miss being able to do things like this. I also wonder what those seagulls thought of me? Like, “Why is this person giving us some of his food?” I don’t believe seagulls are as generous with one another as people are to them.
They probably thought my actions were strange. But they never refused a free handout.
D.B.
