Walter,
Your Roman allusion reminds me of the best pun I've ever seen on a license
plate A fellow birder in Virginia has tags that read "AUSPEX."
When I enquired, he explained that the Roman priests who interpreted omens
in the flight of birds (see Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar") were called the
"Auspices," a word we still use occasionally. The singular of Auspices
is, of course, "Auspex," perhaps history's first professional birders.
Leo Weigant
On 3/16/07 11:22 AM, "Walter Ellison" <> wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> On our way back from taking our car to town for a headlight replacement
> and check-up yesterday (15 March) we noticed a large dark raptor soaring
> just north of the intersection of MD-298 and Buck Neck Road. At first I
> thought it was a Turkey Vulture but it didn't look right in either
> subtle details of shape or flight behavior. Nancy said it was an eagle
> and that's when I decided we'd best stop and take a closer look. Through
> the binoculars we could see a clean broad dark tail band and white
> tail-base, a pale band across the upper wing coverts, a hood of pale
> buff contrasting with a dark face, throat and bill, and the distinctive
> long wings with a subtle bulge in the secondaries. A beautiful sub-adult
> GOLDEN EAGLE. The age was confirmed by the mixed ages of the bird's
> flight feathers. The bird was last seen headed south toward the Melitota
> crossroads. It felt portentous seeing this symbol of Roman power on the
> ides of March.
>
> In other news of spring the spring beauties have burst into bloom in the
> woods behind our house. Take heart, this weather will give way to spring
> in full bloom.
>
> Good Birding,
>
> Walter Ellison & Nancy Martin
>
> 23460 Clarissa Rd
> Chestertown, MD 21620
>
> phone: 410-778-9568
>
> e-mail: rossgull(AT)baybroadband.net
>
> "Nothing is as easy as you would like it to be, and nothing is as hard
> as you might fear" |