Sunday, April 11, 2010

Mirror Images and Bino Bras

Where Robin headed north today, I Bigbyed south along the lake in a near mirror image of her route. The trio of Barn Swallows (63) that had joined the Tree Swallows over McKinley Marina were my first new birds of the day. As I posted to our Twitter feed three Ruddy Ducks (64) were diving with 19 Horned Grebes in the harbor near Veterans Park and the Art Museum. One was a male in full breeding plumage with an eye-popping blue bill. I finally had a Pied-billed Grebe (65) and great looks at Lesser Scaup (66) in the Lakeshore State Park lagoon. Also finally saw my first Yellow-rumped Warbler (68) of the year above the Wolcott Statue in Lake Park. A Chipping Sparrow (69) was one of the few non-House Sparrows at the Wolcott feeders. In Locust Ravine, I was nearly run down by some maniac on a bike. The maniac turned out to be Tim. I suspect he was trying to knock off the competition.

The new birds were all great today, but the real highlight of the day came while I was sitting on the shoreline rocks sorting through the hundred or so ducks napping and diving off of North Point. From the bike trail behind me I heard, "Hey look, that guy's got a harness for his binoculars! Oh man, you know when you got a harness for your binoculars, you...[inaudible, except for accompanying laughter]." As the group was just moving out of earshot, the last comment I heard from the same sharp-eyed commentator on the human experience: "he's lookin' for ships!" Ships? Really? Do people watch ships? Live and learn.

Alright, I admit the binocular harness isn't exactly fashionable, but at least I don't look like this guy.

2 comments:

Robin said...

1. There must be a genetic foundation to this murderous inclination in the Vargo family. First, Vic tries to off Barb in Washington Park so she can't get new birds, then Tim tries to use bicycles as a murder weapon.
2. Who says you don't look like that guy?

Owen said...

Ouch. I set myself up for that.