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April 2007: Two Diameters Above the Horizon
We Hamptonians have a strong tendency to take the beauty of our environment for granted. You could live in an expensive resort and not have the sights that are commonplace every day, I’m particularly referring about the river itself, especially in the evening about sunset time. My neighbor, Marshall Beals agrees with this and once said ”I like when the sun is about two diameters above the horizon”. That is exactly right.
This time of day usually finds the river very serene. Even the gulls don’t squawk like they do during the day, the geese rarely have one of their honking fits, and all the wildlife settle down into a restful state.
As the
sun is setting, there is nothing more pleasant than a leisurely walk on the bike
path. If you do this regularly you’ll notice some things you
might miss in the hurley-burley of the day.
There
is almost always a heron standing in the low water. Seldom more than one. The
stately bird stands majestically, probably contemplating a hard day’s fishing.
One summer a few years ago, there was a good sized limb out there with one end
quite high.
That year we
occasionally saw a heron parched on the high part of the branch with four or
five ducks lined up on the lower part. It looked like the parson preaching to
his congregation. I said to Jane “that heron really has his ducks
in a row”. As I said the heron is usually alone, but several times, as the sun
slips below the horizon, I’ve seen another heron appear, in flight. It will let
out a long and loud squaaaack which is answered by the other heron who takes off
and the pair go flying away. Maybe they go up to Sabula, Iowa where there is a
large colony of herons. In any case I find it interesting, comforting, and
happy to see the heron and his mate go home for the night.
We have a
few egrets on the river but I’ve never seen any at sunset. There are not as
many of these beautiful white birds on this part of the river, as there are some
other places. In the spring and fall we are entertained by pelicans, another
beautiful white bird. They stop off once in awhile to rest from their lengthy
migrations. I’ve heard that pelicans are seldom seen in flight because they fly
so high.
The ever present ducks are part of the scene as the sun slips below the horizon. I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for mallards. My mother raised a dozen or so, hatching them from eggs set under a chicken. They provided food for holiday tables. I liked to watch them parade around in single file. When my mother took a few for a dinner, there were gaps in the parade formation for a few days. Then they filled in the gaps. The ducks minded their own business and were not obnoxious like the chickens.
Geese are often present at sunset but they travel in flocks and you seldom see isolated individuals. Its fun when a big flock of geese is gathered on the river. Suddenly they start honking and eventually all take off and go somewhere else. Perhaps back to their headquarters which is also the headquarters for Deere and Company.
In any case, if you’ve never done any sunset river walking, try it. You’ll like it. The color changes in the sky are by themselves, worth the time. So, always remember: “two diameters above the horizon”.