Wings and waterways

The sun slants heavily across the wetland fringes of the lake, backlighting the stubbled growth stripped of its summer foliage and faded to cinnamon. Intensely beautiful to see the seed-heads of the goldenrod lifted like tufts of cloud against the long light shafts.

My dog, Bu, and I are closing out the day with this quiet stroll, when a woodcock bursts from the leaf litter to our immediate left and blusters skyward, peeling in alarm and startling us briefly. We pause to watch it depart and I glimpse its distinctive needle-like beak against the backdrop of sky.

We continue along a trail that skirts the lake. As we crest a rise, Bu surprises a large flock of turkeys; they take to the air in a panic, smacking into trees and battering one another in their haste to escape. The commotion frightens Bu, who spins around and speeds back to me.

A little farther on, we find a large dust wallow scratched into the path. A mottled brown feather rests in the dirt, evidence that some feathered being used this gritty bowl to bathe itself.

Feathers are considered by some cultures to be emblems of transformation. In addition, they are tools with very specific functions related to flight, floating and insulation. Some ducks (grebes) even ingest their own feathers to protect their digestive linings from fish bones. But aside from these qualities, feathers are things of remarkable beauty.

A hawk with white-feathered underbelly floats silently overhead and a heron slowly pivots with precision as it scans the water’s edge for a meal. Around this lake, we’ve seen osprey and eagle, kingfisher and quail, Canada goose and mallard.

Where there is water, winged creatures can be encountered in abundance. What better excuse is there to spend time exploring our region’s restorative water resources?

Driving home just before dusk last Sunday, we sighted a swan, floating like a bright wisp of smoke atop the dark waters of the Delaware River. Its graceful arching form was mirrored against the moving waters in the shape of a wavering heart. Such natural art is all around us.