28 December 2007

appreciating the artist

I'm not sure when my eyes were opened to the great world of birds. It helps to hang out regularly with birders. Much of my life, however, I didn't really notice or really care. But that is changing. I'm getting to know and appreciate certain calls and some of the birding lingo.

Yesterday, I was able to show my birder friend, John, a new place here in Seattle. Apparently this was a place my Mom took me and my sisters when we were little. I confess, as John and I approached the site, I wondered if we'd see anything at all. I don't know what I was expecting exactly, but what we "discovered" was a person's side yard, made in to a pond. (But it's truly much more than that as this article records.) At first glance, it looked like just a few ducks were hanging out there...but then, I'm telling you people, more and more different varieties became clear.
Here is the list:

-Northern pintail
-American wigeon
-Northern shoveler (big ol bill on this one!)
-Cinnamon teal (love this name!)
-Green-winged teal
-wood duck (needs a different name for how glorious it is!)
-redhead
-mallard
-hooded merganser
-ruddy duck
-and what we called a Eurasian Wood duck

(oh, and not spotted yesterday,
but last weekend I spied a burrows goldeneye. Very fabulous as well!)

This particular duck, pictured above, was spectacular. Seriously. I have never seen a more glorious duck. It's a duck people. But the colors so take my breath away that I hardly know how to describe it. Different sites call it different things. This picture was titled the mandarin wood duck. Other places called it a European or Eurasian wood duck. I'll call it Fabulous!

It drives me to appreciate the creator and artist and declare again, "God, you do such a great job!!!"

5 comments:

therealkimaliczi said...

I am positively green...GREEN I tell you. LOL Just sending a bit of New England birding love your way. Our birds are not nearly as glorious this time of year.

Anonymous said...

That bird is lovely. I just wish I could have been there to enjoy that beauty in person. Is it possible that we would ever have that many different ducks in one spot in Michigan?

Jewels said...

Gracie- You're so right - that is the most fabulous duck! And you must be speaking of the my favorite birder, John Farrell? What fun!

Anonymous said...

Exquisite!

And also green with envy.

Gracie said...

Kim,
thanks for stopping by! From living in NE, I appreciate much about God's beauty there!
Robin,
we definitely have our own beauties in MI that they don't have here...not sure about a duck concentration, tho. Maybe we should explore?
Julia,
Hi! back from Jeb to your whole family!
And Jordan, I tho't u might enjoy this post! :-)