Reflection of sky.
I opened my eyes onto a gray sort of morning. Just a scrap of blue to the west, up the hill between the hardwood trunks, somewhere beyond where the titmouse was again singing its four- or five-note love song.
Bufflehead.
Had to make a couple trips to town. Each time I saw the three commonest, most cultured species: herring and ring-billed gull, rock pigeon. Pigeons seemed particular abundant today, for some reason, wheeling and spiraling above the buildings in town. Their movements seemed frantic enough that a couple times I scanned for a hawk. Saw none.
Got my staples out today and figured I’d celebrate with a walk out the breakwater. The conditions were perfect for it—calm, mild (for the season), and just about peak high tide. The temperature had to be in the 40s (F), and the water surfaces on either side were bright and reflective. During midday, quite a little sun had shone, but by 4:30 p.m. or so, some lovely, roiling, dipping, tumultous clouds had spread over town.
Common loon.
In the reflective surface on the harbor side, a solitary male bufflehead floated and preened and shook and scratched with one webbed foot. On the opposite side, a common loon—with just a hint of spring plumage—cruised and dove. The sky beyond the islands looked like a painting, the coastal hills seemed darkly inviting.
Two black-backed gulls were hanging around at the far end; one flew away, and the other sat a while atop the lighthouse, eyeing me.
On the return trip, I heard the thrilling calls of long-tailed ducks and knew without seeing them what they were doing: flying swiftly back out toward the islands. Sure enough, through my new binoculars I watched two small, tight-bunched flocks of them speeding away to the east, talking as they flew.
Feather.
The sky-light out there couldn’t have been lovelier, the air was calm and sweet. And to think if I’d lived 300 years ago, my appendix would’ve killed me by now.
In the parking lot, when I opened the door of my pickup, I heard the unmistakable chip of a northern cardinal sending up a call of alarm.
Today’s List
Tufted titmouse
American crow
Black-capped chickadee
Herring gull
Ring-billed gull
Rock pigeon
American goldfinch
House finch
Mallard
Bufflehead
Common loon
Long-tailed duck
Northern cardinal
The coastal hills.
Tags: American crow, American goldfinch, black-capped chickadee, bufflehead, common loon, herring gull, house finch, long-tailed duck, mallard, northern cardinal, ring-billed gull, rock pigeon, tufted titmouse
