Saturday, December 3, 2016 6:35 am 36 degrees
I look to the sky and see a long, black line flying quietly in the sky. Wondering if I am looking at bats flying out from the bridge? Looks like 100s of them are flying above me.
Roosters are active this morning, singing their song from the trees. I am the first one out. I see no one on the way to the bridge. The air is icy cold. A runner jogs past me dressed in his warm ups, jacket and cap.
I scraped a thin layer of ice from my front windshield this morning. My fingers are icy and red. Wearing gloves, my fingers cannot operate my camera or effectively hold a pen. A thin mist hangs on the river, slowly, slowly moving toward the bridge. Despite the cool temperatures and ice in my car windshield, the bridge deck is completely dry. I am guessing the gentle breeze quickly carries away the morning dew. A faint mist on the river a moving down the river corridor towards me. I shake my hands every minute to keep them warm.
The Bufflehead ducks are still here. A Canada Goose stands watch at the boat launch ramp. Dead salmon lie along the riverbank, not yet eaten by gulls, ducks or the turkey vultures.
I spy an Egret fly and land nearby the bridge. A Great Blue Heron flies alongside. Now they both sit at the water’s edge searching, watching and walking with care at the water’s edge. They find bits of salmon and eat.
Pigeons arrive to circle the bridge several times and then disappear into a cloudless sky. A very pale orange glow sits on the horizon. The sun still sits just below the tree line. I see a group of ducks swimming 30-50 yards from the boat launch ramp.
The river’s gentle ripples are the primary movement on this frigid and very quiet morning. Birds begin to chatter. Ducks are emerging. Seagulls fly above me. Two fly west and one east. Their large wings flap slowly and gracefully, propelling the birds forward. Watching the slight of seagulls as they soar over the river is a beautiful sight to behold.
By day, seagulls sit quietly in the water. As seagulls fly over me, I wonder where do hundreds of seagulls go to rest for the night?
By day, pigeons cluster in a large group and flutter their short wings. They appear to be in a tremendous hurry to get everywhere quickly. Yet, I have seen them flying around the bridge several times in a panic and settle on the overhead frame to take a nap. I wonder… what is their hurry?