Day 60

Today I was exploring a part of campus known as Observatory Hill, where the ruins of a century-old observatory remain (a few bricks from the foundation and some boards that are now a beehive are all that's left). It's nice there, full of shade and oak trees and tranquility. I must have spent a good fifteen or twenty minutes during my break just watching the birds and squirrels going about their business in the oak grove. There was a really high density of life in there. The sensory of all the activity and commotion was almost overwhelming at times. There was the jay at the top of the canopy working on its nest. There was a woodpecker that stayed to watch. There was the chirping of chicks in the nest. There were the robins rooting around in the grass for grubby things to eat, and occasionally they'd squabble over territory. One bird would make an alarm call, all the birds would go quiet, and an accipiter (1) would pass overhead. There were the cute, little, round, sparrow/finch-type birds looking for seeds. There were the tree squirrels doing acrobatics in the branches. And then there were all the birds chasing each other around because it is spring and that is what birds do when it is spring.

I found a nice spot to take a nap and I woke to the sound of the Campanile's bells tolling on the hour.