“The rich rouge of first light seems to purge the
lingering chill, and even if the effect is purely psychological, it works for
me. Well before sunrise, the air over the beach and ocean has become a conveyor
of loons. More loons than I ever remember seeing—all Common Loons— are
streaming northeast into the red-throated dawn. Continuously, I have loons in
sight. If a casual glance upward reveals none, a scan with the binoculars
reveals many. They flap constantly, as if flying is always an effort. With
their long necks extended and legs outstretched, their wings seem smaller than
needed for so long and hefty a body. They come singly or in loose groups of up
to about a dozen. Many come close overhead, their blacks lustrous, their whites
luminous. By the time I leave the beach, the red sun of dawn has already
mellowed to yellow, the blue sky paled, but loons are still coming.”—American
ecologist, nature writer—and MacArthur “genius” Fellow—Dr. Carl Safina, The View from Lazy Point: A Natural Year in an Unnatural World (2011)
(Photo of Carl
Safina taken by Carl’s Crew on Feb. 7, 2011.)
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