Allens Pond part 2 5:30-6:10pm

On our way home we stopped by the other section of Allen's Pond. It has the view of Allen's Pond: a very large salt water pond which reassembles the sea, well more like a very small slightly round sea, but then ALL salt water ponds would be miniature seas ... Oh never mind. Incidentally, the sea was described in Baldrick's dictionary (Baldrick being Black Adder's servant in the popular series known as "Black Adder") as a "wet blue wobbly thing" this is how you can picture Allen's Pond).

The birds were definitely more plentiful here than at the other part of the Audubon which was fine with me. Red-Winged Blackbirds screeched, chirped, shrieked and chattered their beautiful songs and calls into the afternoon air.

Willetts were everywhere foraging on the path, resting on stone walls, pecking about in the marsh and flying over head. We counted 9 Willets by the time we were done. Their black and white wing stripes flashing in the blazing light rays emitted by a flaming ball of gas 93 million miles away.

Three grackles flew over head, electronic calls ringing over the marsh, meadow, Atlantic Ocean and a small part of the woodland. Barn and Tree Swallows darted about on iridescent wings perfectly described by Edna O'Brien:"Swallows were swooping and scudding in and out of the several sacred churches, once the abode of monks but long since uninhabited, the roof's gone but the walls and ornamental doorways still standing, gray and sturdy, with their own mosaics of lichen. The swallows did not so much sing as caw and gabble, their circuits a marvel of speed and ingenuity ". (The New Yorker June 8 & 15 2009) Unfortunately Allen's Pond was lacking the pristine and sacred completely smashed churches.

Two Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds zipped by, their amazing bee like flight the 274th natural wonder of the world.

The rich songs of the appropriately named Song Sparrow rang through the bushes and shrubs, the small short and stubby grasses and the tall not so stubby grasses and a few trees as well. The Song Sparrows were easy targets for my binoculars.

A small but graceful flock of goldfinches dashed over head, while an Osprey soared on a warm summer breeze, his wings as white as a snow flake on the 15th of December. Four handsome Great Black-Backed Gulls hung out on the beach, while Double-Crested Cormorants floated in the waves and a Green Heron flew lazily overhead. Common Terns, more numerous than the Willets, skimmed by on their silver wings; hard not to miss in the blue heavens above. They looked like angels with an appetite for fish.

A Yellow Warbler sang from a tree while: 2 European Starlings, 2 Cedar Waxwings and 3 Rock Pigeons flew over our heads and the rest of our bodies for that matter.

A Mockingbird sang at us from the embracing bows of an evergreen. A Great Egret looked for a nice cold fish fresh from the marsh while Herring Gulls went about their daily business. House Sparrows chirped obnoxiously while a an American Robin stood unmoving on the path.

An Empidonax Flycatcher species darted from bush to bush. The Empidonax is a sub-family of bird that I have only glimpsed a few times and never positively identified. Today though we got some photos of the flycatcher and later with some help from another birder decided that it was a Willow Flycatcher! A lifer!

Another interesting experience that we had was when we discovered a Eastern Cottontail taking rather sandy dust bath which he seemed to be enjoying until we showed up then he wasn't so excited about his dust bath in the least. A great trip all in all.