I remember creating uninteresting project proposals and mission statements when I worked for an insurance company a decade ago. You almost have to admire such banal prose for its ubiquity – is there a school for this brand of uninspiring language? I checked their website when I got home and read that the award-winning T.Wall Properties “thinks and acts according to a driving purpose that forms the foundation of our business; we create places where people interact, places where our customers can realize the business benefits of such interaction.” Huh? Why not just say, "We'll build you a dandy mini-mall!" Ah well, it's just meaningless corporate piffle that doesn't matter at all to a Dickcissel that's simply trying to make its way through life. But you can't really blame developers – we're all part of the system slowly fragmenting and eliminating habitat for birds (as well as other critters). Ultimately, this translates to fewer birds over the years. Nesting on this parcel of land along Deming Way, I found Spotted Sandpipers, Killdeer, Red-winged Blackbirds, Savannah Sparrows, Grasshopper Sparrows, Eastern Kingbirds, Eastern Meadowlarks and more. For an hour, though, I was able to connect with this beautiful male Dickcissel as he defended his land with bold song. It's too bad his song and beauty won't be enough to keep the fields from being mowed and buildings from going up.
All the way from Venezuela...respect.
All images © 2008 Mike McDowell
