Oak Haven

Oak Haven

The sun had barely begun to tease the darkness with rays of its life giving light when the inhabitants of the stately oak known as Oak Haven began to rise and sing their morning songs. Some of the songs were beautiful and called a soft greeting to the rising sun. Others, like those of the crow clan, were loud and insistent, as if demanding the sun to move faster on its ancient journey across the sky.
Sadie and her family had just arrived at Oak Haven. They had flown in late yesterday on their journey home for spring and summer. Sadie was excited by all the new sights and sounds. She had been so intensely focused on not getting lost or left behind when her flock passed by on their way south for the winter, that she had not registered the majesty of the oak and the mystery of its guests. She was a year old now, she thought as she stood up straighter and tried to look confident, and old enough to do a little exploring before her flock resumed the journey home.
As the morning progressed and Sadie grew accustomed to the cacophonous sounds around her, she could identify more of the other occupants. Directly across from her sat an old owl silently looking around as if he could see everything for 100 miles, and a few branches from him the crow clan was doing their fussing. There was activity everywhere.
As her gaze slid down the massive tree to the ground below her perch, she saw a veritable feast of worms and insects on a dirt table that was filling up fast. Sadie forgot all about exploring in the branches and floated to the bottom of the big oak to sample the offered buffet.