Leo's quote below struck home today as I was teleworking, but looked up after seeing the shadows of many birds cross my windows.  I had earlier seen robins in the tree some 20 feet behind the house and expected they'd returned.    Instead I saw, in perfect light, a half dozen or so cedar waxwings.  They stayed several minutes, long enough for me to grab my binoculars and study behavior and fine details.   One wrested a berry off its twig and passed it to his branch mate.   
    
Dorothy Paugh
Bowie, MD
 
 > Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:37:55 -0500
> From: 
> Subject: [MDOSPREY] Sunrise / Sunset - - Eiders / Night Herons
> To: 
> 
> I stumbled on a nice quote recently from the novelist, Saul Bellow:
> 
> "Unexpected intrusions of beauty. That is what life is."
> 
> 
> Then today I got to experience this twice ~ at sunrise and sunset.
> 
> At 8:30 AM I was at the Ocean City Inlet, nearly at HIgh Tide
> and trying to scope over the south jetty (from the balcony at the
> Oceanic Motel) to see if any ducks might be more visible than usual.
> 
> The sun was very bright, the waves were not high and arriving 
> slowly which provided me with long looks at a flock of common
> eiders. It included 7 males in breeding plumage along with 9
> females. The sunlight really highlighted them. Hadn't seen
> anything like it in years.
> 
> At 5:30 PM I was waiting for sundown at the end of Riley
> Roberts Road in Deale Island WMA, hoping to hear a bittern &
> see the black-crowned night-herons arrive. Which they did right
> around 5:25 thru 5:40 or so. I counted 51, most seen in twilight
> that showed details clearly, but faded fast.
> 
> Nice drive home. . .
> 
> Leo Weigant
> 
> 
> 
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