American Robin

"What type of bird is that?"  I asked Elizabeth as we walked through the garden of the General Theological Seminary in Chelsea.  I spotted a small bird with a reddish/rust-colored breast.    I’d never seen it before.

"American Robin."

"Oh, wow!"  I pointed my camera in its direction and started taking photographs.  Or at least I tried to.  I wanted a closer photo but each time I moved towards the bird, it would fly and land a few feet away.  Ugh!  I tried not to get frustrated.

As we continued to walk, I saw another bird, similar-looking.  "Is that also an American Robin?"

"Yes."  She paused to watch me take the photo of the second American Robin.  Like the first one, it flew away before I could really focus and get close up. 

We continued walking.  I saw a third bird and quickened my step to try to get a photo of it.  "And is that an American Robin, too?"

"Yes,"  she stopped behind me.

A fourth bird stood not far from us and hastened to take its photo.  "And is that an American Robin, too?"  Caught up in the moment, I pointed at the bird with my camera.

"No. That’s a pigeon."  She sounded a bit shocked that I asked such a dumb question

"Oh!  Opps!"  I had to laugh.  With all the pigeons I see in New York, You’d think I know what a pigeon looks like by now. 

"It doesn’t look like your everyday pigeon, though," Elizabeth justified for me. so that I didn’t sound so dumb.  She’s so nice.

"No, it doesn’t."  I studied the bird.  She was right.  This pigeon was beige in color.  I’d never seen its type before.  Mesmerized, it took me a while to remember to take the pigeon’s photo. By the time I did, it flew away.  Oh, well.

You really had to be there to appreciate how funny the entire scene was.

Paz (who thinks it’s really cool that there are American Robins in the city)