Hi Tweets,

Forgot to mention that while Ken Klimko and I were looking at shorebirds on
the NW settling ponds at Iona yesterday evening, we saw the most *amazing*
thing near sunset.

Each sandpiper--and there were hundreds of them--looked like a strange white
light was burning brilliantly inside their heads as they looked at us.
Sandpipers with headlights on high beam. It looked like a birding version
one of those cheesy 'Exorcist'-type movies about satanic possession from the
70's & 80's where some clown unlucky enough to become used as a motel room
for a demon or Satan hisself has his eyes light up and his voice sound like
Tom Waits (Keeper of the Phlegm was one line I saw about TW, though he sings
beautifully, I think) and a strange bright white light burns brightly, etc.,
and if I were a old-fashionedly superstitious man, the sight could have
scared me badly. For sure, sometimes trying to age and sex these birds they
can be little demons.

The rays of the sun were very low and reflecting directly back from the eyes
of the birds directly in front of us. The phenomenon lasted just a short
while, about ten minutes and concerned the sandpipers directly in front and
at a distance of 10-30 meters; birds more than 5 meters to either side of
the line from the sun to the bird through the observer didn't show this
reflection.

Not exaggerating to say this is one of the weirdest, coolest things things
I've *ever* seen. Diamonds on the souls of their eyes....

Michael Price A brave world, Sir,
Vancouver BC Canada full of religion, knavery, and change;
mprice at mindlink.net we shall shortly see better days.
Aphra Behn (1640-1689)