Birds Perched on Gravestones Blue Jay Life is but a stopping place, a pause in what's to be, A resting place along the road to sweet eternity. We all have different journeys, different paths along the way. To learn some things, but never meant to stay. -Author unknown Northern Mockingbird The Old Burying Ground in Beaufort, North Carolina, was established more than 300 years ago to be the final resting place for town residents. Now it’s a local landmark that has become home to many different birds. It’s my favorite place to explore with a camera! There is something intriguing about seeing a vibrant, active bird, perched momentarily on an ancient gravestone. Such a solid, sturdy structure inevitably catches the eye of a bird in flight or perhaps from a perch high in the trees. It offers an inviting landing site close to the ground, where food is abundant. “Rest O weary traveler…” Gray Catbird The Gray Catbird (above) has chosen this particular gravestone as a resting place. How can you tell? He’s standing on one leg only. He has tucked the other leg up into the body feathers, thereby assuming a resting position. At least one leg gets a rest from a long day of standing. I admire how birds are able to stand on a single leg for long periods of time, even overnight, without losing their balance! Here are two others at rest… Northern Cardinal American Robin Flat-topped gravestones make excellent perches, as demonstrated by a variety of bird species… Eastern Bluebird Brown Thrasher Northern Mockingbird An arched or gently curving surface seems to be equally appealing as a perch. Northern Cardinal Gray Catbird Great-crested Flycatcher Carolina Wren I have observed that any gravestone, whether curved or flat, simple or ornate, sculpted or pointed, is a potential perch. The shape of the surface seems to have little effect on a bird’s decision about where to land. There are so many choices… Brown Thrasher on an ornate stone Brown Thrasher on a scroll-topped stone Blue Jay on a spherical topped stone Brown Thrasher on a spherical topped stone Northern Mockingbird on an extra-large orb Blue Jay on a cross-topped stone The graveyard is a study in contrasts! My eye is attracted to the contrasts I see through the lens as I compose a photograph. There’s the soft warmth of a living creature paired with the cold hardness of stone… American Robin There’s the delicate lightness of a small winged animal compared to the grounded heaviness of gravestones… European Starling There’s the transitory pause in movement versus the unchanging permanence of a grave marker… Gray Catbird There’s the bird’s colorful plumage opposed to the drab grayness of granite… Northern Cardinal There’s the contrast between this present moment in our lives versus the memorialized past recorded in stone… Great-crested Flycatcher The unexpected can happen… So far, only two birds have surprised me, when I encountered them on gravestones. Both birds normally stay high up in the trees, making the unusual decision to descend for some unknown reason — a woodpecker and an owl. Northern Flicker on a gravestone Great Horned Owl on a gravestone I always wonder why birds stay in the same place when they can fly anywhere on the earth. Then I ask myself the same question. Harun Yahya Want to read more about these graveyard birds? Select from these… Fence-sitters >>Steeple Sitters >> Birds in the Old Burying Ground >>Feathered graveyard visitors >>Hard to See >>Birds set in stone >> Please follow and like: Share this:FacebookXLike this:Like Loading... Post navigation Long-legged waders in all their glorySandpipers. Which is which?