Emmie, Mark, Carol, Rick,
Last weekend was wonderful. Highlights were working
on the new dock for the kayak rack on Sunday morning
early. As far as people go, I was the only one there
- but...
Two starlings who may have nested in unused kayaks
nearby made a intermittent song of lightning and
thunder. They had the sizzle crack of lightning
down but were a little shaky on the clap of thunder -
kind of like a soprano singing bass :-)
An impressive armada of eighteen pelicans swimming
shoulder to shoulder in a dot formation (with a
diameter as long as a bicycle) work the shoreline.
Beginning at the upwind edge they sail down
together.
Every ten or fifteen feet the leader and everyone
together dives their bills into the water.
Head down. Wings up. Feet up.
Ten more feet.
Head down. Wings up. Feet up.
It is really beautiful. I wonder if they follow a
school of fish. About the same size. About the same
shape.
As they troll back upwind, sometimes they fish,
sometimes they preen, all on cue from the
headmaster..
who seems to hold a rotational assignment. I guess
they are experimenting.
After completing the decking for the dock, I head
over
to the dog park. Get one Frisbee toss to a border
collie.
As leaving, a dog inside the park gets excited about
a
new arrival. A chocolate brown floppy eared dog-
perhaps a Weimaraner.
The owner explains to her excited dog, "That's not
Sadie, that's not Sadie."
The owner of the newcomer says, "This is a different
Sadie."
http://www.weimaraners.com/images/oostenr.jpg
Hopes for health and happiness everywhere, but
especially there.
Ed
PS
At first I thought they were storks but a coworker had
questions about how they swim with those long legs.
After some research, after I drew what I saw, we
discovered this page. I saw the type that fish from
the surface rather than the sky - see
Special anatomical, physiological or behavioral
adaptations:
http://www.whozoo.org/Intro98/stewwarr/stewwarr1.htm
They have 3 gallon bills and their bones are full of
air!
