Subject: 06-02-98 Sunset at Des Moines Marina, WA
Date: Jun 3 12:28:41 1998
From: Maureen Ellis - me2 at u.washington.edu


Hello Friends,

In last bright light of the day, the Sound had a remarkable vast
orange-pink, blue, and purple rippled surface.........a truly be-in-awe
vista. There were a few creatures on the water, and the two GREAT BLUE
herons silhouetted against the colorful water's edge and the distant
Olympic Mts. were lovely beyond words. The human population is just too
dense for me to want to live here for life, but the Des Moines Marina area
does have its 'moments.'

Unusual for this time of the year were 3 WESTERN grebes just north of the
Fishing Pier. Not far from the grebes was a foraging, alternate-plumed
MARBLED murrelet; this species is infrequently seen here year around.
Also about were one or more PIGEON guillemots, which most likely nest
close by. BARN and VIOLET-GREEN swallows were air-snacking everywhere and
we seem to have more WHITE-CROWNED sparrows locally singing their
it's-my-space songs that I can recall in previous few years.

A RIVER otter was frolicking just at the jetty entrance, but River otters
always seem to be "frolicking" no matter what they are actually doing!
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Never at a loss for the sense of wonder about the universe,
Maureen Ellis me2 at u.washington.edu Univ of WA and Des Moines, WA

"Finding the occasional straw of truth awash in a great ocean of
confusion and bamboozle requires vigilance, dedication, and courage."
-Carl Sagan-
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