Meme

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

No, that's not the word for a social-media trope. It's two distinct syllables, and it translates in English to "flicker."

For the second day in a row, I was given the gift of wildlife photos I've never before been able to get. This morning, it was Meme, the male red-shafted Northern flicker shown here. 

I had put on my jacket and shoes, and picked up my cedar and feather, and opened the door to go outside in the cold for morning prayers. As I stepped out, I heard an unmistakable sound and looked up at the two-story latilla anchor post a few feet away.

There he sat.

I turned around, put down my prayer bundle, and dove for my camera, praying aloud but under my breath, "Please stay; please stay."

He did. Longer than one ever has for me before.

The one above was among the first few shots I took (of a total of 28, most of which were not good enough to display here). He looked right at me several times, and continued to alternate between calling to his mate and pecking at the pole.

So I moved to the ground outside.

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

They are timid birds when it comes to larger creatures like humans, easily spooked. Usually, once they realize you've fixated on them, they make a quick getaway.

For some reason, this one wasn't bothered. He let me get a shot of him calling to his mate, his song like the chime of a crystal bell.

I kept shooting.

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

I managed to get a shot of him at work: He is, after all, a woodpecker. Entirely out of season, too — in winter, we get downy and hairy woodpeckers here, but the flicker is an autumn visitant.

I've written about Meme at Wings's site; he's a spirit bird, one with a long tradition of lending his song and beauty and other qualities to our peoples. He's one to whom Wings is especially close; seven and a half years ago, after the loss of BearGirl, he would sit outside the studio and play the flute our little girl loved. That autumn, Flicker came in answer to the call of the red-cedar notes, hovering a few feet from Wings, dancing on the air to the music of the flute. 

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

Wings has managed to get photos of Meme in the past, but I have never been so lucky.

Until today.

He waited while I brought the camera back in the house and retrieved my prayer bundle. By the time I reached the grass, he'd flown away out of sight, but still within earshot, still singing as I prayed.

I burned a little cedar and said a little prayer of thanks just for him.






All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.