larvae and mothers

I like the Northern Flicker. My parents have always had bird feeders and they often attract a good flock of Flickers. From my early teens to now, I have probably had a hundred conversations with my mother about what the Flickers are up to. (Not to mention all the other birds.)

"Those Flickers! They make such a mess of the seeds."

"The Flickers just hog the whole feeder. See them lording over it, keeping the other birds away? Look, Jason, see?"

Northern Flicker. Not my photo.

Anyways, I just watched a Northern Flicker picking at an ant nest between the cracks of a concrete patio. Deftly flicking aside the dry soil and never missing the exact spots where huge chambers of ant-larvae were stored. Munching up the rich white rice-like larvae like turkey dinner.

I kinda miss my mom this morning.

I see her often, but I wish I could be with her right now, standing in their kitchen, looking out the window with her while she washes dishes, talking about birds and the weather and the bears and where she's been walking these days.