Today at Hance Point, Bob and I saw two female mallards with nine very young
ducklings. We couldn't tell if they were all one clutch or shared 
among the two adults,
but we were struck by how tiny they were--not more than a few days old. It was
a beautiful evening on the water and I have to think the ducks 
enjoyed the cooler
air as much as Bob and I did. All the birds were serene tonight--even 
the swallows,
gulls, and crows, which are usually the three big noisemakers.

Earlier today, at the Bel Air Barnes & Noble, I was sipping my "tall" decaf
skinny mocha and watching the house sparrows, which like city birds
are very bold and come within a couple feet of people. The male picked
up a feather that was twice the size of his own head, a gray feather
that I assumed came from a pigeon. He felt the tip of the quill and then
nibbled up and down the feather--maybe testing for softness?--and then
he flew off with it. There are a few small crape myrtles in the parking lot
that in 20 years or so may provide a little shade. I assumed the sparrows
were nesting in one of them.

I think many of us take these little intruders for granted, but a few months
ago I was strolling on the Havre de Grace promenade and a woman
exclaimed "What a pretty bird!" I looked for a pretty bird, and then 
she pointed
at a male house sparrow, with his spring plumage all shiny and 
bright, and I had
to admit he was a handsome little guy, even though I chase his kin away from
our bluebird house.

--Pat

Pat Valdata, Elkton, MD | 
"The natural function of the wing is to soar upwards
and carry that which is heavy up to the place where dwells the race of gods.
More than any other thing that pertains to the body
it partakes of the nature of the divine." --Plato