Some Birds I Saw

The sky was bleak — that dull grey that I remember from my youth in the midwest. The air was thick with fog and mist and drizzle. The trail by the lake was mostly empty. Who wants to run on such a cold, damp day?

In truth, weather like this is perfect for running. ... But I don't want to talk about that. I want to tell you about some birds I saw...

There were four Wood Ducks swimming in the water under a looming cypress tree at the bottom of the hill. At the top of the hill, the air was full of the sounds of the city: the rush of traffic on the freeway, the sound of excavation and construction. But by the water's edge, all that was far away, and the ducks found the seclusion and low water level ideal.

Further along, there were Coots and Lesser Scaups and Redheads floating just off shore. Now and then one of them would up end and dive to the bottom, resurfacing with a weedy morsel hanging from its beak. But mostly they were just bobbing in the waves watching the world go by.

And beyond them there was a solitary Great Blue Heron wading. It must have been standing on a submerged log, for it was really too far out in the water for it to be as shallow as it appeared. Next to the size of the others, the heron was a massive beast, but it didn't seem to know so, and it watched the world go by as if it were just another duck.

Who wants to run on a cold, damp day, anyway?

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Town Lake Hike and Bike Trails
Austin TX

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