WHAT I WILL DO WITH MY 3+ HOURS

WHAT I WILL DO WITH MY 3+ HOURS

That's easy.  Apart from spending time with my family and visiting Paris, my most favorite pastime is bird watching.  It is so much fun to find those beautiful creatures and identify them and make them part of me.  I could, and have, spent hours chasing birds through my binoculars, looking at their intricate feather patterns and marveling at their ability to inhabit all the niches of nature to survive.

The only problem with birding is having to get up so early to do it.  I guess it is true about the "early bird" and that means I have to be an early bird, too.  Morning is not my best time.  However, I have found it is worth rising early to catch a glimpse of the elusive and rare clapper rail emerging from the salt marsh not far from my home.  Today I was able not only to see the clapper rail but to photograph it.  Not easy, since they live in marsh grass and are only visible at high tide when they are forced out of their protected area.  It is a cool looking bird, with an orangish bill and pretty streaked feather pattern.  My husband teases me about the "rare bird" since every time he comes with me to the marsh we spot the rail.

It may be the hunt that makes birdwatching so much fun.  Or maybe it is the game of "I can name that bird in 10 seconds".  Whatever it is, I love it.  And it is not because I was a biology major in college.  I know lots of normal people, like lawyers, teachers, stay at home moms and just plain folks who enjoy birdwatching as much as I do. 

My enjoyment of birdwatching is enhanced by the fact that I am out of doors getting some fresh air and exercise. 

CLAPPER RAIL (SORRY ABOUT THE FOCUS) MOVING SWIFTLY THROUGH THE MARSH GRASS

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