Your moment of Zen

I got to the beach a little early today, and so I had a few minutes of quiet before the other swimmers showed up.

The bird you hear in this clip is a tui. They’re black and green mostly, about the size of a blue jay, with a silly white chin feather that flutters around when they talk. He was sitting in a tree just behind me, and wanted everyone to get up and see the sunrise.

And boy do they talk! I still remember the first time we heard one, walking through a park to the market. While NZ is similar to the US in most ways, listening to a tui is a potent reminder that you’re not in Vermont any more.