At first light the linden held still for roll call. Nuthatches lined the trunk, each one greeting the bark and nodding to the birdhouse before taking a single step with its belly to the sky.
We asked at the kiosk. I thought they were stuck, said a woman buying sunflower seeds, until they all said good morning downward. A neighbor insisted the tree had been closed for repairs. It was only class.
The park keeper pinned a card to the bark: one headfirst step each, please leave the knot for the woodpecker.