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November 18, 1998 |
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snow buntings | |||||
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Today's bird list: 150 black ducks
Copyright © 1998, Janet I. Egan |
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Hmm, am I getting to the point where I can't stand the smell of bleach or is today an aberration? There wasn't that much bleach left anyway and I used up the last of it this morning. Only the rabies room stuff and the sick room stuff got the bleach treatment today. There's a sign over the washer reminding us to use bleach for every load, and another sign reminding us to do the wash that's in bags from the sick room and rabies room first rather than letting it sit around. So, I felt compelled to explain to anybody who happened by that I had stopped doing the rabies/sick wash because we were out of bleach. Considering how shorthanded we are, and of course the bleach situation, I'd've thought I'd be pretty anxious and pressured today. However, I was having a nice mellow time just washing litter boxes and dishes as they came to me and stopping to put in a load of wash whenever I felt like it. No rush. Alex, a beautiful Birman (I think that's what he is), kept rubbing up against my legs while I was at the sink. He didn't jump up or anything and didn't meow for attention. He seemed to just enjoy hanging out with me and rubbing my legs occasionally. Bonnie-Wednesday, who is studying to be a veterinary technician, and Dawna were having a graphic discussion of veterinary surgeries they have watched recently. Dawna is fostering Sadie's kittens at home. They're one-eyed just like Sadie. She took them to the vet downstairs from us to have the empty eye sockets sewn shut, and since she also works there she asked to watch the procedures. One of the kittens had some sort of vestigial eye way back in the socket so there was some surgery involved. This discussion was fascinating to Dawna and Bonnie but I was getting a little woozy listening to it. The cold air outside was bracing and revived me. I had lunch - a veggie sub at Angelina's - and went off to look for birds on the refuge. I feel like if the sun is out I have to be outside. November does that to me. The short days make me feel desperate something something... Dawna gave me some of the pictures she took of Jaguar in the laundry basket a couple weeks ago. I can't seem to stay away from the refuge when the sun is out. I feel like there's a law that I have to be outdoors or else. So, after a quick lunch at Angelina's I headed off to look for birds. Dunlin and black ducks seemed to dominate at the salt pannes and I didn't feel like getting my scope out to look for the reported pectoral sandpiper. I did see a black-bellied plover there though. At stage Island, right there on the path to the overlook: snow buntings! About 80 of them! They took off and wheeled over my head so close they were easily identifiable with the naked eye. They landed on the path again. They did this take off and landing gig a zillion times while I watched. They are elegant looking birds anyway with their brown and black markings on white, but they practically sparkled in the sun today. They seemed miraculous and almost magical. I was struck dumb by their beauty. Steve was coming down the path from the overlook with a woman from the regional office. He greeted me with "Hello, Janet" and my greeting him with "snow buntings!?!" in response to hello didn't seem at all strange to him. Maybe he's used to this phenomenon. All that I could say was "snow buntings". The last time that happened to me was when I was snorkeling in the Galapagos and saw a blue starfish of some kind that I don't remember now. After I surfaced, all I could say was "blue!" I hated to leave the snow buntings to continue up to the overlook but I finally did and was rewarded with a flock of snow geese in flight, a Eurasian wigeon, many many ducks of all kinds... Steve had mentioned seeing a Northern shrike up there, but I looked and looked and did not find it. He also said the Harris' sparrow was still around in roughly the same place we saw it last week, so I went on down to parking lot 7 where I encountered sparrows in the trees, sparrows I don't know, lots of people looking for the Harris' sparrow who is definitely still there. He found a nice pile of seeds, don't know what kind, and was happily munching away by the side of the road. He's not shy, people can get real close to him. He seems to prefer hopping around on the ground to flying, and he patrols a long north-south territory along the west side of the road by hopping. Whatever he was eating must be really attractive to sparrows of all kinds because I spotted two American tree sparrows and a song sparrow nearby, and two sparrow-type birds that I had no clue what they were. I wrote down descriptions and searched the book and didn't find anything close. I guess I need work on sparrows. The snow buntings were definitely the highlight. The first and only snow bunting I ever saw was all alone in parking lot in Matunuck, Rhode Island taking a dust bath. Though it was a thrill to add it to my life list, it doesn't come close to the sheer rapture of seeing a whole cloud of these gorgeous beings wheeling overhead. I stayed for the last hour of daylight despite the fact that I was wearing a thin jacket and it was getting colder. The sun was setting when I left. On the way home I noticed a sore throat - hope I'm not getting a cold. I ran into R at Wild Harvest while I was buying groceries for dinner. She asked for a ride in my cart - those shopping carts with the little kiddie seats and the tiny seat belts too small to hold a grapefruit never mind a kid look like they'd be a fun ride. We had a good laugh at that idea. The day went by so fast and had so much packed into it - is this what they mean by having a life? | |||||
