November races by. Already I feel behind in my Christmas shopping. The days shorten toward the solstice. Wintering ducks arrive all over Rhode Island. If you are a duck and can fly to wherever you want to winter, I ask you "Why Rhode Island?"
It's 50 degrees out! A reprieve just when I was ready to hunker down...
I dreamed about Harlequin ducks last night. Vast rafts of them bobbing on the waves chasing each other and diving in very blue water.
I forgot to mention that last night after the Wallace & Gromit tape we watched part of the birding tape. I loved watching the hooded mergansers extend their crests in the courtship display. I turned to Nancy and said "Hey, I really want to see hooded mergansers!" I thought no more of it.
We had brunch at Rue de l'Espoir and headed to Watchamocket Cove as we could not stop ourselves from birding on what has to be the absolutely last nice day before the oppression of winter.
We stayed at the cove two hours. It seemed like 10 minutes. Slews of ring billed gulls - I lost count at 114. Thirty four Atlantic mute swans, 1 Canada goose with broken wing -we've taken to calling him Igor after the injured gosling in Fly Away Home -, twenty two mallards, and one double crested cormorant. An old man arrived with bread and the entire gull, swan, mallard, and goose population swarmed around him. They made quite a ruckus. I took several pictures. The male mallards were displaying and females chasing them too.
That was just on one side of the road. We decided to see who was on the other side near the golf course where we saw the American wigeons last week. No sooner had I raised the binoculars than I exclaimed:"Hooded mergansers!!!!". Nancy thought I was kidding. Nope. Twelve hooded mergansers. The males were extending their crests. Quite a show. The females have wonderful reddish brown crests that make them look exotic too. They were diving and popping up all over the place. Wow!
Also on that side were 6 Canada geese, 7 ring billed gulls, and two adult mute swans with 7 cygnets. The other family with the 6 cygnets was not in evidence but there's plenty of area we can't see from the bridge so I'm sure they're still in their territory.
As I was writing this the phone rang. My brother Donald was calling from his car phone on the way home from dinner with Mom. It seems Nikki has asked Mom if she and her sons can move in with her. She pressured Ma with this caring about the poor and the homeless thing. I was afraid this would happen. Bad enough she tries to exploit me, but Mom?!!!!!?!!!! This is not good.
Later: Called Mom. Convinced her not to let Nikki manipulate her and move in there. It took some doing because Mom can never turn her back on someone in need. I explained the situation as best I could. Bottom line: Mom is not going to let her move in. Mission accomplished.
Just when I was starting to feel like maybe there was something salvageable with Nikki. Just when I thought maybe she hadn't only contacted me for money. She goes and tries to take advantage of my mother. Shit.
After this I don't feel like writing about the rest of my birding adventures today, so maybe I'll lead off tomorrow's entry with the Turner Reservoir expedition account.
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