Birds, Nature, Beauty, and Photography
Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush
Persistence, practice, and patience pay off and produce good luck
Here we go round the mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush.
Here we go round the mulberry bush,
So early in the morning.— Lines from an English nursery rhyme and singing game
Did you sing or play “Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush” as a child? I remember playing the game in kindergarten.
In the past 23 days, I have taken 18 birdwatching walks through the historic Decatur Cemetery in northern Georgia. Each time I entered the graveyard, I passed by a mulberry tree.
But until early this morning, I never noticed a bird in the tree. I paid no attention to the tree itself.
When I arrived, several dozen Cedar Waxwings flew in and out of the tree’s foliage. Each one feasted on a mulberry before it flew away, only to be replaced by another bird, or two, or three.
Eventually, the perfect-looking Cedar Waxwings flew away. One at a time, they were replaced by a Northern Cardinal, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and an Eastern Bluebird.
Nearby, a Northern Mockingbird and an American Robin perched on gravestones. The mockingbird flipped its tail up and down and spread its wings.
Finally, a Brown Thrasher landed in a tree, moving from branch to branch as it sang its songs. With over 1,000 song types, it has the largest song repertoire of all birds worldwide.
On my 18 visits to Decatur Cemetery, I have seen or heard between 15 and 41 distinct bird species. While this morning’s visit was not as productive regarding distinct species, it provided bountiful photogenic opportunities.
Five days remain before I leave Georgia and return to Minnesota. Before I depart, I plan to take several more walks around Decatur Cemetery. Each time, I will stop, wait, and listen by the mulberry tree.
This morning’s outing further solidified my belief that luck is more made than the result of chance. In this case, persistence, practice, and patience paid off.
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