Before the fog rolled in I saw the pair of Mallards in the vernal pool. It has reached the stage of a few puddles, thanks to recent rains. Five Turkey Vultures were taking turns on some road kill next to the freeway on the north side of the “pool” (really still just a field of grass). Starlings were gathering on a telephone line. The Mockingbird popped up to greet me from his bush in the parking lot. But he just stayed there, not trying to do fancy maneuvers and show off.
The the fog rolled in, and I couldn’t even see the Turkey Vultures on the fence posts. I concluded that since I couldn’t even see the birds, they couldn’t see either, so were just sitting tight in their chosen roosting spots. I came to the back of the library to write and be inspired by the trees I could see from the back window, since the birds weren’t there to do the job.
Then the birds began to appear–mostly in flocks: Mourning Doves, Eurasian-collared Doves, and pigeons. A smattering of White-crowned Sparrows and House Sparrows.  I made a slight movement as I focused my binoculars, and they all fled.
One bold little Oregon Junco bobbed for seeds the pigeons had knocked off the seed platform, but he fled when the sparrows did. Something spooked the pigeons and doves, too. But when these were gone, my two bold White-breasted Nuthatches began down the tree trunk to the seed, snatching one, and “beetling” back up the trunk to a launching off spot, only to return and repeat their up and down method several times.
It just goes to show you can’t predict the birds in sunny weather, fog, or even rain.
Maybe I’m in control in my library: the books are arranged as I see fit (Dewey), the furniture is arranged in the way I think serves my patrons best, and behavior follows rules the don’t apply in the classroom or hallways.
But sitting at the back window and watching the bird life on a cold, foggy day reminds me that the world can go on without me. I just have the blessing of being the audience and playing a part of a little portion of it for a little time.