The Call of the Whippoorwill

While walking to the truck this morning, a bird took flight just ahead of me. At first it looked like an owl and it landed on the other side of the truck, not far off. I walked over there and the bird took another short, flight landing on some concrete.
This time I walked directly up to the bird or as close as I thought I should get and observed the bird colors and feathers, thinking I should know what sort of bird it is.
Sure wish I had my camera too.
Sure as shooting, Google described the bird and has a picture of one exactly like it. It was a Whippoorwill, no doubt.
Used to hear them down in the river bottom of the Chattahoochee River way back when, and always when it was dark.
There is some folklore that goes with the Whippoorwill. An unmarried woman would listen for the sound of the Whippoorwill. One call means she’ll not get married for a year. Three calls mean she will be destined to be a spinster. Two calls means impending matrimony.

Google goes on to say that repetitious calls were often considered an omen of death to the Omaha Indians. The Ute Indians believed that the Whippoorwill was the god of the night and could magically change a frog into the moon.
Iroquois believed that the lady slipper was the Whippoorwill’s shoe.
The bird didn’t make any sound when I was around so reckon that means it didn’t want to be bothered.
It made my day to say the least, it is not everyday that one sees a Whippoorwill much less know what one is. Have you ever heard the call of a Whippoorwill?
The twin son from Pennsylvania and his clan have been down all week; they went back this afternoon with web feet.
He and I put up 15 pints of chowchow early one morning and got in the dog house with Big Momma. She said we started too early and should have waited a bit.
With the two granddaughters, I always take them to Wal-Mart one morning at six o’clock; they love it. This trip we took the other granddaughter with us. Ages 12, 10 & 5.
Do believe they can smell the toy section of the store because that was their direction.
Then next thing I know they are looking at bras. Nearly dropped my teeth when the 10 year old got one.
I made a comment about why she was buying a sling shot so when we got home, she told on me.